Healthcare providers’ experiences in caring for MDRO carriers with a focus on the moral dimensions of care: a systematic review

This systematic review shows that caring for patients carrying multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) places significant practical and ethical strain on healthcare providers. Across 18 studies, challenges arise at three levels: individual (uncertainty about personal safety and varying knowledge), care practice (PPE and isolation measures hindering patient connection), and institutional (limited resources, infrastructure issues, and lack of management support). While these pressures clearly affect care delivery, the moral dimensions—such as tensions between professional responsibility, patient care, and colleague behavior—remain underexplored, highlighting the need for more ethically focused research and better support systems for healthcare providers.