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Nursing ethical codes
7 Ethical Principles in Nursing
Nursing ethical codes
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Ethical Principles is one of the main issues in research and other healthcare related professions nowadays. These principles has been formed due to the needs of protecting the human rights and in-order for the professionals to work and treat patients Equitably and fairly. Contributions from different professions and nursing are very important in forming the Ethical Principles in Healthcare. Thompson (1987) said to his journal that, aside from the Hippocratic oath formed by the doctors there are other professions who did their own Codes to protect the professions and so as the patient. International Council of Nurses Formulated its own Code of Nurses in 1953, and its bodies (related nursing organizations) followed Code that is formed. In 1976 …show more content…
The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is the pioneer in code of ethics, which was established in 1899, and published a book Called Nursing Ethics: For Hospital and Private use that is adopted by American Nurses in 1900. (Butts, 2011)
In 1965 a finalized Code of Ethics for Nurses was published by ICN, which discuss the responsibility of nurse to patient instead of physicians. (Butts, 2011)
Currently, American Nurses Association (ANA) is the responsible in updating the Code of Ethics to guide nurses. (Butts, 2011)
American Nurses Association said that Code of ethics should include directive in guiding the nurses to promote and advocate for the rights of the patient, in which they should play an important role as a heart of all decision making (ANA, 2001)
Contributions of Other Professions, Theorist and Cultures.
Base to Immanuel Kent there are four Ethical Theories in healthcare including Deontology (rightness or wrongness of an action), Teleogy (utilitarian), Intuitionism (notion that people inherently know) , The Ethic of Caring (case based theory/Fairness). (Mellish
The first provision of the American Nurses Association’s (ANA) “Code of Ethics” states, “ The nurse, in all professional relationships, practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth and uniqueness of every individual, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems.” The second provision states, “The nurse’s primary commitment is the patient, whether the patient is an individual, family, group, or community” (Fowler, 2010). As nurses we need to respect the autonomy and allow for the patient to express their choices and concerns. We also need to provide them with support by giving them knowledge and understanding so they
A code of ethics provides a standard by which nurses conduct themselves and their practice, observing ethical obligations of the profession and providing quality care. To achieve its purpose, a code of ethics must be understood, internalized, and used by nurses in all aspects of their work” (Aliakvari, 2015, p. 494).
In the code of ethics, the very first ethical principles that nurses are expected to uphold in order to exemplify that they are competent professionals are autonomy, beneficence, and nonmaleficence. That is, nurses as professionals are expected to advocate for their patients while preserving their respect and dignity and
The Code of Ethics for Nurses was created to be a guide for nurses to perform their duties in a way that is abiding with the ethical responsibilities of the nursing profession and quality in nursing care. The Code of Ethics has excellent guidelines for how nurses should behave, however; these parameters are not specific. They do not identify what is right and wrong, leaving nurses having to ultimately make that decision. Ethics in nursing involves individual interpretation based on personal morals and values. Nursing professionals have the ethical accountability to be altruistic, meaning a nurse who cares for patients without self-interest. This results in a nurse functioning as a patient advocate, making decisions that are in the best interest of the patient and practicing sound nursing ethics.
Providing the steps to ethically sound excellent care, healthcare providers must acknowledge first the legal and ethical matters involved with proper investigation and then devise a plan for best possible action recognizing the rights of the patient and its benefits followed by the application of the chosen intervention with positive outcome in mind (Wells, 2007). Delivery of excellent and quality of care at a constant level (NMC, 2008) must be marked in any responsibilities and duties of the care provider to promote exceptional nursing practice. Codes of nursing ethics and legal legislation have addressed almost all the necessary actions in making decisions in consideration to the best interest of the patient. Nurses must make sure that they are all guided by the set standard to lead their action and produce desirable and ethically sound outcomes.
Registered nurses abide by a code of ethics as set forth by the American Nurses Association. Some of the ethics nurses live out are: commitment to the patient, practice with compassion and respect, accountability and responsibility for owns actions and collaborating with other health care providers (Code of Ethics for Nurses, 2015). Nurses practice the code of ethics on a routine basis by employing the six fundamental concepts established by the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN).
Fowler, M. D., & American Nurses Association (2008). Guide to the code of ethics for nurses: Interpretation and application. Silver Spring, MD: American Nurses Association.
Barnett, Wilson J.(1986). Ethical Dilemmas in Nursing. Journal of Medical Ethics. Retrieved on 12th July 2010 from
American Nurses Association (ANA), (2001), Code of Ethics for Nurses, American Nurses Association, Washington, D.C.
American Nurses Association. (2015, January 2015). Code of Ethics for Nurses With Interpretive Statements, 1-76. Retrieved from
The ethical responsibility of nurses. Provisions 3 & 4 of the Code of Ethics states that the nurse promotes, advocates for, and protects the rights, health, and safety of the patient; and the nurse has authority, accountability, and responsibility for nursing practice; makes decisions; and takes action consistent with the obligation to promote health and to provide optimal care. (American Nurses Association, 2015)
The American Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Nurses has five elements that pertain to the Principle of Autonomy. Each individual element applies to “respect individual persons” (Baillie, McGeehan, Garrett T, M., Garrett R. M., 2013, p.33). In Chapter 2 of the Health Care ethics: Principles and problems text, it discusses thouroghly the consent of an individual to make their own decisions regarding their health and future requests of care. As a nurse or within all heath care professions, we must treat each individual patient with care, respect, and to remain mindful to the patient regarding any aspect of their lives. In the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses, it explains ways of maintaining the empathy required in the health field. It further discusses that the respect for human dignity must be a priority, relationships to patients must remain neutral, the severity of the situation, the right to self-rule, and the professionalism that must be upheld by the nurse and their associates.
The American Nurses Association created guidelines for the profession including, a set clear rules to be followed by individuals within the profession, Code of Ethics for Nurses. Written in 1893, by Lystra Gretter, and adopted by the ANA in 1926, The Code of Ethics for Nurses details the role metaethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics have within the field (ANA, 2015). Moral obligation for an individual differs within professions than it does within an individual’s personal life, so the code of ethics was written to establish rules within the profession. The moral obligation to provide quality care include the fundamental principles of respect for persons, integrity, autonomy, advocacy, accountability, beneficence, and non-maleficence. The document itself contains nine provisions with subtext, all of which cannot be addressed within this paper however, core principals related to the ethical responsibilities nurses have will be
Garrett, T. M., Baillie, H. W., & Garrett, R. M. (2010). Health care ethics: Principles and problems (5thed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Ethics asses the values, morals, and principles of nurses. Legal codes or laws are rules established by our government. It’s important that nurses have a clear and comprehensive understanding of ethical and legal codes within their career. The understanding of these codes is essential for nurses to safely practice and to protect their patients. Nurses must abide by these principles or face the consequences of legal action. These principles include autonomy, utilitarianism, confidentiality, and many others. Autonomy is the agreement to respect ones right to determine a course of action, while utilitarianism is what is best for most people as defined in American Nurses Association. In order to give you a