Nursing Ethics PDF

# Nursing Ethics ## Introduction There are many reasons for the need for ethics in the nursing profession. - **Nursing ethics** is a branch of nursing that deals with the activities involved in the field of nursing. - It provides the professional standards for nursing activities, which help to...

# Nursing Ethics ## Introduction There are many reasons for the need for ethics in the nursing profession. - **Nursing ethics** is a branch of nursing that deals with the activities involved in the field of nursing. - It provides the professional standards for nursing activities, which help to protect not only the nurse but also the patient. - **Nursing ethics** refers to the values and ethical principles governing nursing practice, conduct and relationships between the nurse and patient, patient's family, other members of health profession and general public. ## Importance of Nursing Ethics ### **A. Importance for the Nurses** 1. **Ethics provides framed ethical principles to do proper nursing care.** The nurse should say the truth and perform only truthful activity in any situation. For example, a nurse should not say that he/she has given the drug to the patient when it has not been given. 2. **Ethics protects the nurse from all legal and ethical issues.** As per nursing ethics, before doing any procedure, a nurse has to get the informed consent signed from the patient after providing all the details about the procedure. If he/she explains all the details, benefits, risks, and alternatives associated with the procedure as per the ethics, the nurse will be safe. However, if the details have not been provided and a problem occurs during the treatment, then the nurse will be at risk. 3. **Ethics helps the nurse to attain professional and personal satisfaction.** A nurse should follow the code of ethics and hospital policies. Legally approved ethical principles help the nurses to attain personal and professional satisfaction since these ethical principles direct the nurse to do good to the patient and achieve the goal of high-quality care and satisfaction. 4. **Ethics Leads to Profits.** Both ethics and profits go together. Without a doubt, any management that sticks to strong ethical principles will yield only profit, since these principles work out only to stabilize the unity. Harmony always leads to profits in the long run. 5. **Ethical values help in better decision-making.** If an institution or management has enforced a standard and strong ethics, its principles will definitely help in decision-making. Whenever issues or problems arise, moral and ethical principles are twined and stitched into each decision-making step. This ensures safety not only for the employee but also for the management and there are no “ups” and “downs”. 6. **Ethics controls, modifies, and moulds good ethical behavior in the nurse.** Following ethical principles will help not only the nurse but also all health care providers to modify and control their behavior towards patient care since all ethical principles are grounded and framed to the benefit and protection of the society. ### **B. Importance for the patient** 1. Obtain good and efficient nursing care 2. Exercise the patients' rights 3. Obtain all information needed about patient care 4. Attain patient satisfaction because of high-quality nursing care 5. Create a trustworthy relationship between the patients and health care providers 6. Safeguard the patient from all medico-legal problems ### **C. Importance for the society** 1. **Following nursing ethics helps a nurse to be a good citizen in society.** 2. **Nursing ethics never allows a nurse to do harm to society.** 3. **Nursing ethics guides a nurse to be morally and ethically right and is presented in each activity of the nurse that is directed towards the society.** 4. **Nursing ethics governs the ethical behavior of a nurse to do only good to society.** ### **Importance in the clinical area** The ethical principles guide the nurse in the following: 1. Delegate work responsibility as per the needs and requirements of the patients. 2. Practice nursing care as per the nursing care standards. 3. Provide good judgment ability. 4. Uplift self-determination. 5. Help to be accountable and responsible in nursing care. 6. Help to alleviate the pain and suffering of the patients. 7. Never ignore a patient and attend to and meet all the needs of the patients. ## **Ethics is a rule for right conduct of any human being:** The fast pace of advancement in technology has brought about the need to stabilize the strong ethics to safeguard the life of humans. Ethics can be easily framed and followed whereas a law cannot be framed easily and though implemented will not protect always. However, strong ethical principles will do it. Where the law fails, ethics can succeed. ## **All principles in the nursing profession help in the following:** 1. Maintain a trustworthy relationship among the team members in the medical profession and the health care providers and co-workers such as nurse and colleagues relationship, nurse and patient relationship, nurse and doctor relationship. 2. Evaluate the performance of nursing care by checking for any impaired practice, acceptance 3. Maintain confidentiality and ensure that the details of the patients are recorded accurately and are kept safe. 4. Respect all cultural issues of the patient. 5. Maintain good morale. 6. Nursing is not possible without ethics. It is needed in all fields of nursing such as foundations in nursing, nursing education, nursing research, nursing administration, and management. ## Conclusion Nursing ethics is an important part of the nursing profession. It is important for nurses, patients, and society. Ethical principles help to guide nurses to do the right thing in all situations. It is important for nurses to understand and follow ethical principles to ensure that patients receive the best possible care.