While nursing students will often learn about the best treatment options and care techniques for patients, they also must take an in-depth look at the ethics of care in nursing. The ethical principles in nursing guide nurses through their day-to-day decisions, ensuring that they are providing patients with the compassionate care that they need.
Understanding Ethical Principles in Nursing
Ethics of care in nursing serve as a guide for nurses forced to make critical decisions daily in relation to their patients’ care. In addition to being aware of the best medical practices and organizational protocols, nurses must also be able to consider the consequences of their actions and make a choice in line with ethical standards in nursing and across the medical field.
Definition of Ethical Principles in Nursing
According to the American Nurses Association, ethical awareness plays a significant role in a nurse’s ability to be successful and to provide patients with the personalized, high-quality care that they deserve. Ethical principles are defined as a code of conduct for nurses that allows them to make sound and moral choices in relation to patient care. The ANA notes that ethical principles in nursing require nurses to remember that their patient is more than just a person who needs care — they are an individual who has bodily autonomy and human rights. Nurses need to prioritize justice, equity and advocacy as they make decisions related to their patients’ care.
Role of Ethical Principles in Nursing
Ethical principles in nursing are designed to serve as a guide that nurses can rely on every day, regardless of their specialty or the patients that they work with. Not only does the nursing code of ethics help nurses make swift, fair and effective decisions, but ethical principles in nursing have also been associated with higher patient satisfaction ratings.
The Nursing Code of Ethics
The Nursing Code of Ethics is a guide that has been developed by the American Nurses Association, and it has been considered the gold standard in nursing ethics for several decades. This code provides nurses with a set of guidelines to adhere to as they make decisions related to patient care, ensuring that nurses can provide care that is fair, just and personalized for the individual needs of the patient.
Evolution and Development of the Nursing Code of Ethics
The ANA first developed the Nursing Code of Ethics in 1950 to provide nurses with a moral compass to use as they worked with patients each day. As the field of healthcare evolved, new technology was developed and social justice issues came to light over the course of the next several decades, the Nursing Code of Ethics continued to evolve with the times. Today, this code is rooted in the ethical principles in nursing while still providing context relevant in today’s global, multicultural society.
Significance of the Nursing Code of Ethics
The Nursing Code of Ethics has allowed nurses to become confident in the care that they are providing. By giving nurses a set of ethical principles and standards to adhere to, they can easily make morally-sound decisions for their patients, ensuring that they get the best possible care. Clearly, this code is working, because the public considers nurses to be some of the most honest and ethical professionals in the world.
Four Core Ethical Principles in Nursing
Ethics of care in nursing can be broken down into four clear categories. Per the American Nurses Association, the four ethical principles in nursing are:
Principle of Autonomy
The principle of autonomy refers to the fact that patients have a right to make their own choices about which treatments they will receive or which healthcare services they will be provided. A nurse should actively work to provide patients with factual information about the possible treatment plans available and give them the space they need to come to their own conclusion. In some cases, a nurse may feel that the patient is not making the same choice that they would, but to adhere to this principle, nurses must give patients the freedom to make their own choices based on their personal beliefs, cultural traditions and individual preferences.
Principle of Beneficence
The principle of beneficence refers to the fact that nurses should always be advocating for their patients and making decisions in their best interest. For example, a hospice nurse working with a terminal patient should still prioritize their patient’s care and comfort, although they may be dying. Nurses are often naturally compassionate people, making this a relatively easy ethical principle to adhere to.
Principle of Justice
The principle of justice refers to equality within the field of nursing. Nurses must actively work to ensure that all patients receive equal access to healthcare services, regardless of their age, gender, race, religion, sexuality, socioeconomic status or ethnicity. This principle is particularly important when nurses are determining which patients receive priority care. Personal opinions and prejudices have no place in nursing, and nurses must actively work to ensure that all patients receive the comprehensive, timely care that they require.
H3: Principle of Non-Maleficence
This principle refers to the commitment that all healthcare providers make, which is to do no harm. Non-maleficence is defined as the ability to provide patients with care that avoids any harm or minimizes any harm or damaging side effects. To provide patients with safe and effective care, nurses must make swift decisions that prioritize the needs of their patients. For instance, a nurse may have to make the determination to withhold medication for a patient if they feel that medication will do more harm than good.
Provisions Within the Nursing Code of Ethics
There are nine provisions within the Nursing Code of Ethics. These nine provisions are outlined to expand upon the four ethical principles in nursing, and they work to provide nurses with defined guidance as they make decisions related to the care of their patients.
Explanation of the Nine Provisions
The nine provisions within the Nursing Code of Ethics include:
- Nurses must practice with compassion and respect while prioritizing the dignity of each individual patient.
- Nurses must prioritize the needs of their patients in every decision that they make.
- Nurses must serve as an advocate for the rights and safety of their patients.
- Nurses must take accountability for their nursing practice and make responsible decisions related to patient care.
- Nurses must also promote health and safety in their own lives while serving with integrity, honesty and respect.
- Nurses should work to advance the profession by adhering to professional standards and promoting nursing and healthcare policy changes.
- Nurses should work collaboratively with other healthcare professionals within their patients’ care teams to ensure that each patient is receiving thoughtful, comprehensive care.
- Nurses should work to integrate principles of social justice policy into their healthcare practices, ensuring that all patients have equal access to high-quality care.
Interpretation and Application of the Provisions
While the nine provisions within the Nursing Code of Ethics are clearly outlined, there is still room for interpretation, allowing nurses to apply the provisions to their daily practice. It’s crucial to keep in mind that the provisions are not legally binding, but rather they are there to help guide nurses as they make decisions related to patient care.
Making Ethical Decisions as a Nurse
While other professionals may have the opportunity to collect data, consider the implications and decide the course of hours, days or even weeks, nurses don’t always have that opportunity. In fact, many nurses make life-or-death decisions in a matter of moments, which highlights the importance of ethical decision-making in nursing.
Factors Influencing Ethical Decision-Making
The following factors can play a role in the ethical decision-making process:
- The medical needs of the patient.
- The amount of time available before a decision needs to be made.
- The patient’s ability to speak for themselves or make their own decision.
- The availability of other medical personnel.
- The amount of experience that a nurse has.
Strategies for Making Ethical Decisions
Nurses can make ethical decisions easily when they rely on these strategies:
- Identify and assess the problem.
- Consider the Nursing Code of Ethics, including the nine provisions.
- Consider which courses of action might be possible or plausible given the scope of the situation.
- Identify the potential consequences of each course of action.
- Make sure that the course of action that you select is fair, just and in the best interest of the patient. Always keep the patient’s dignity and autonomy in mind.
- Implement the decision and provide the patient with the high-quality care that they deserve.
Practical Examples of Ethical Principles in Nursing
From the moment you begin working as a nurse, you will find that you will rely on the code of nursing ethics on a regular basis. Some practical examples of ethical principles in nursing include:
- Working with your shift supervisor to ensure that all patients are prioritized according to their medical needs, not necessarily based on any other factors.
- Working to ensure that your patient is comfortable with the care that they are receiving, and that they have had an opportunity to weigh in on the treatment plan.
- Providing patients with objective, fact-based information about their options, giving them an opportunity to decide what they are comfortable with.
Importance of Regular Ethics Training
Ethics training plays a pivotal role in professional development for nurses. While the Nursing Code of Ethics serves as an excellent guideline, regular ethics training can provide you with new insight into ethical dilemmas that nurses are facing and how to navigate them.
Current Ethical Challenges in Modern Nursing
Some of the most common ethical challenges in modern nursing include:
- Providing families with accurate information while maintaining the patient’s right to privacy.
- Navigating situations in which a patient is refusing medication or life-sustaining treatment.
- Accepting a patient’s decision regarding advance directive planning, even if it goes against what the nurse personally feels is best.
- Maintaining professional boundaries between nurses and patients.
How Do Ethical Principles Guide Nurses’ Actions?
While technology continues to change and social justice issues continue to improve our cultural norms and expectations, the Nursing Code of Ethics provides a solid foundation for nurses to rely on. Nurses often refer to these principles as they make decisions daily.
Take a Deep Dive Into the Ethical Principles in Nursing at Nevada State University
At Nevada State University, we offer an RN to BSN online track that offers a rigorous curriculum and is rooted in the ethical principles in nursing. Nursing ethics plays a central role in our degree programs, allowing aspiring nurses to learn more about the ethical decisions that they will face each day as they work with their patients.
Request more information about our online nursing degree programs today.
Sources
https://www.wgu.edu/blog/ethical-principles-nursing-why-they-matter2303.html
https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/health/ethics-in-nursing
https://www.nursingworld.org/content-hub/resources/workplace/why-ethics-in-nursing-matters/
https://nursejournal.org/resources/nursing-code-of-ethics/
https://www.apna.org/news/a-systematic-approach-to-ethical-decision-making-for-nurses/
https://nursingeducation.org/blog/common-ethical-issues-in-nursing-practice/