By: Pranavi Bandaru
In the field of medicine, ethics is one of the most crucial pillars that all medical professionals have to abide by, particularly nurses. Without ethics, it becomes difficult for one to conduct themselves, as different people may have different reactions to a scenario. By establishing a set of rules as the norm, nurses are better able to act in a professional and empathetic manner. That being said, let’s get into the nursing codes of ethics - its history, significance and what they consist of.
Established in 1893 by Florence Nightingale, a trailblazing figure in modern nursing, the “Nightingale Pledge” was read by nursing students at graduation with minimal alterations as modification of the Hippocratic Oath. However, the American Nurses Association(ANA) adopted a formal code of ethics in 1950, which has undergone multiple modifications since then. In 2015, 9 interpretive statements or principles were introduced to the code of ethics to assist in guiding nursing practices more precisely. The ANA’s nursing code of ethics is included in several states’ practice standards. Due to the code’s relevance to the nursing profession, it is revised frequently and updated as nurses face increasingly unique scenarios.
For those entering the nursing profession, the code of ethics is the central guiding principle. It acts as a non-negotiable standard of ethics for nurses and emphasizes a high degree of care and attention. The codes layout how nurses should conduct themselves ethically as a profession and what they should do if they face obstacles to achieving their responsibilities. They can also assist nurses in their work and help them to clarify things in difficult situations, and gives a moral conscience for them to follow in order to conduct their tasks fairly.
There are 4 fundamental principles of ethics. The first one is Autonomy. This principle recognizes each patient’s right to self-determination and decision making. Nurses must ensure that patients obtain all medical information, education and alternatives in order to pick the best option for them. The medical and nursing teams may develop a treatment plan that complies with the patient's desires. It should be noted that culture, age, gender, sexual orientation, general health can all impact a patient’s willingness to accept or refuse medical care. Nonetheless, it’s important that nurses support the patient’s medical desires.
The second principle consists of Beneficence. This involves behaving in the best interests and welfare of others, including qualities like compassion and charity. Beneficence emphasizes “Actions guided by compassion” according to the ANA. The third principle is Justice. In all medical treatment and nursing choices, there should be justice. Nurses must treat all patients with the same degree of respect regardless of their financial situation, race, religion, gender or sexual orientation.
The fourth principle is Nonmaleficence. This means to do no damage, where nurses should always choose care and services that cause the least amount of harm to attain a positive outcome. The principles ensure the safety and protection of the patient. Nurses must report any treatment alternatives that are causing a patient considerable harm, such as suicidal or homicidal thoughts.
Along with the 4 principles of ethics, nurses should also abide by the 9 provisions, which aim to provide more guidance of nurses on how they react in a particular scenario. They are as follows:
Nurse practices with compassion & respect for every patient
Nurse’s primary commitment is to patient
Nurse advocates for anything that happens to the patient ; protect rights, health
Nurse has authority, countability for nursing practice
Nurse owes same duties to self as others, responsibility to promote health safety, continue personal growth
Nurse establishes ethical environment of work setting and conditions of employment
Nurse advances profession through research and scholarly inquiry
Nurse collabs with other healthcare professionals & public to protect human rights
Profession of nursing must articulate nursing values
Nurses face many circumstances daily that require the utmost level of skill and compassion, where they must always put others before themselves. These can include but are not limited to, providing pain medication to post operative hip replacement, holding the hand of a dying patient who is alone or even advocating for a patient that wants to stop chemotherapy. They must always consider other perspectives before making an informed decision on what to do, which is something we should truly appreciate about nurses.
References:
By: Kathleen Gaines MSN. "What Is the Nursing Code of Ethics?" Nurse.org. https://nurse.org/education/nursing-code-of-ethics/.
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