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Information about Nursing Ethics

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Nursing ethics is the discipline of evaluating the merits, risks, and social concerns of activities in the field of nursing. There are many defined codes of ethics for nurses.

Nursing ethics shares many principles with other branches of health care ethics, such as beneficence and non-maleficence, but also has a number of distinctions.

Human rights and nursing practice

Ethics has been an integral part of nursing practice from the earliest foundations of modern nursing in the late nineteenth century. This has always entailed a respect for human rights of the persons in their care. However, early attempts to define ethics in nursing were focused more on the virtues of the nurses themselves, rather than looking at how the rights of the patient or client might be promoted in particular. In the modern era, the ethics of nursing has shifted more toward the promotion of these rights and the duties of the nurse (McHale & Gallagher 2003).

The importance of human rights in nursing was made explicit in a statement adopted by the International Council of Nurses in 1983.

Distinctive nature

Although historically much of nursing ethics has been derived from medical ethics, there are some factors that differentiate it from this. The key difference is that paternalism, which is often a key feature in theories of medical ethics, is generally not compatible with nursing ethics (Rumbold 1999). This is because nursing theory seeks a collaborative relationship with the person in their care. It therefore emphasises autonomy of the person being nursed over paternalistic practice where the health professional seeks to do what they believe to be in the person's or society's best interests. Codes of conduct for nurses tend to be written in the ethical framework of deontology and are therefore based on the rights of the patient and the duties of the nurse rather than on utilitarian concerns of the consequences justifying the action.

Common themes in nursing ethics

More so, the nurse's role is one of advocate for the interests of the people in their care. In terms of ethical theory, this means having a respect for the autonomy of the person to make decisions about their own treatment and be provided with information available in order to do this. So the principle of informed consent, where a person understands fully the implications of having or refusing a treatment, is one which is held in the nurse's mind when suggesting treatment options. (Rumbold 1999) This principle is not absolute as people are sometimes unable to make choices about their own treatment due to being incapacitated or having a mental illness that affects their judgement. This means that the nurse has to weigh their duty of care against the autonomy of the person in care.

Other common themes are that of truth telling in interactions with the person in care. This, however, also has to be weighed against any unnecessary harm that may be caused by divulging the information. Confidentiality is also an important principle in many nursing ethical codes. This is where information about the person is only shared with others after permission of the person, unless it is felt that the information must be shared to comply with a higher duty such as preserving life. (Rumbold 1999)

Nurses are interested in the quality of life of the people in their care. In medical ethics theories, this can be measured by QALYs. However, this is highly controversial as it is very difficult to measure the quality of someone else's life objectively and this can be particularly difficult if the person in care is unable to communicate their need, such as when they are unconscious or in a vegetative state

Currently the job of regulation of nursing personnel in relation to nursing ethics is left up to state, provincial, and national regulatory bodies. However there remains gaps in regulation in many countries (Please see the University of Minnesota Center for Bioethics for documentation about violations in health ethics by the American Military; [1]

On the international nursing regulation front the International Council of Nurses has created a network of nursing regulatory agencies. It is primarily focused as a forum for the exchange of ideas and as a resource bank rather than achieving the ability to regulate.(ICN) ICN believes in “self regulation” and “self governance” by authorities in each country within the specific profession ((personal communication with Dr. Tesfa Ghebrehiwet. ICN)).

To correct the gap in regulation the Victoria Coalition for the Survivors of Torture (VCST)has developed a proposal that would establish an International Health Professions’ Ethics Committee. A draft of the Ethics Committee has been posted on the VCST web-site: [2]

Codes of ethics

See also

References

  • Hunt, G (ed) Ethical Issues in Nursing. Routledge, London, 1994.
  • Journal: Nursing Ethics: An International Journal for Healthcare Professionals. Arnold, London.
  • McHale, J & Gallagher, A (2003). Nursing and Human Rights. Butterworth Heinemann. ISBN 0-7506-5292-6. 
  • Rumbold, G (1999). Ethics in Nursing Practice. Balliere Tindall. ISBN 0-7020-2312-4. 

External links

Nursing is a profession focused on assisting individuals, families, and communities in attaining, maintaining, and recovering optimal health and functioning. Modern definitions of nursing define it as a science and an art that focuses on promoting quality of life as defined by
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Health care, or healthcare, is the prevention, treatment, and management of illness and the preservation of mental and physical well being through the services offered by the medical, nursing, and allied health professions.
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Ethics (via Latin ethica from the Ancient Greek ἠθική [φιλοσοφία]
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Beneficence: The act of doing good; helping others. (Salus aegroti suprema lex)

With Regard to Medical Ethics, this concept involves the physician making the decisions that are best for the patient, without regard to personal gain or the interests of others.
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Episode no. Season 2
Episode 16
Written by Danny Cannon and Carol Mendelsohn
Directed by Richard J. Lewis
Original airdate January 31, 2002
Season 2 episodes
  1. Burked
  2. Chaos Theory
  3. Overload

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Human rights refers to "the basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled, often held to include the right to life and liberty, freedom of thought and expression, and equality before the law.
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Virtue ethics is a branch of moral philosophy that emphasizes character, rather than rules or consequences, as the key element of ethical thinking. In the West virtue ethics was the prevailing approach to ethical thinking in the ancient and medieval periods.
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Duty (from "due," that which is owing, O. Fr. deu, did, past participle of devoir; Lat. debere, debitum; cf. "debt") is a term that conveys a sense of moral commitment to someone or something.
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ICN

International Council of Nurses
Founded 1899
Members 128
Country International
Key people Hiroko Minami, president
Office location Geneva, Switzerland
Website www.icn.
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Medical ethics is primarily a field of applied ethics, the study of moral values and judgments as they apply to medicine. As a scholarly discipline, medical ethics encompasses its practical application in clinical settings as well as work on its history, philosophy, theology, and
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Paternalism refers usually to an attitude or a policy stemming from the hierarchic pattern of a family based on patriarchy, that is, there is a figurehead (the father, pater
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Nursing theory is the term given to the body of knowledge that is used to support nursing practice. In their professional education nurses will study a range of interconnected subjects which can be applied to the practice setting.
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Deontological ethics or deontology (Greek: δέον (deon) meaning obligation or duty) is an approach to ethics that focuses on the rightness or wrongness of actions themselves, as opposed to the rightness or wrongness of the
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Utilitarianism is the ethical doctrine that the moral worth of an action is solely determined by its contribution to overall utility. It is thus a form of consequentialism, meaning that the moral worth of an action is determined by its outcome—the ends justify the means.
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Patient advocacy refers to speaking on behalf of a patient in order to protect their rights and help them obtain needed information and services. The role of patient advocate is frequently assumed by nurses, social workers, and other healthcare providers.
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Ethics (via Latin ethica from the Ancient Greek ἠθική [φιλοσοφία]
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Autonomy (Greek: Auto-Nomos - nomos meaning "law": one who gives oneself his/her own law) is the right to self-government. Autonomy is a concept found in moral, political, and bioethical philosophy.
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Tort law I
Part of the common law series
Intentional torts
Assault  · Battery
False arrest  · False imprisonment
Intentional infliction of emotional distress
Property torts
Trespass to chattels
Trespass to land  · Conversion
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The capacity of both natural and artificial persons determines whether they may make binding amendments to their rights, duties and obligations, such as getting married or merging, entering into contracts, making gifts, or writing a valid will.
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MeSH D001523 Mental disorder or mental illness are terms used to refer a psychological or physiological pattern that occurs in an individual and is usually associated with distress or disability that is not expected as part of normal development or culture.
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Tort law II
Part of the common law series
Negligent torts
Negligence  · Negligent hiring
Negligent entrustment  · Malpractice
Negligent infliction of emotional distress
Doctrines affecting liability
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This section uses second-person inappropriately.
Please [ edit this article] to use the more expected of an encyclopedia, per Wikipedia's . (, talk)


"Honest" redirects here, For other uses, see Honesty (disambiguation)



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Confidentiality has been defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as "ensuring that information is accessible only to those authorized to have access" and is one of the cornerstones of Information security.
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Quality of Life is a 2004 drama film, telling the fictional story of two graffiti writers in the Mission District of San Francisco.
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See also Unconscious mind.


Unconsciousness, more appropriately referred to as loss of consciousness or lack of consciousness, is a dramatic alteration of mental state that involves complete or near-complete lack of responsiveness to people and
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Persistent vegetative state
Classifications and external resources

ICD-10 R40.20 .
ICD-9 780.03

A persistent vegetative state (PVS) is a condition of patients with severe brain damage in whom coma has progressed to a state of wakefulness without
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Patient advocacy refers to speaking on behalf of a patient in order to protect their rights and help them obtain needed information and services. The role of patient advocate is frequently assumed by nurses, social workers, and other healthcare providers.
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