Why Ethics in Nursing Matters

Registered nurses routinely encounter issues that may have ethical implications. Nurses work with patients whose lives may be at stake. It’s a nurse’s job to follow protocol and best practices while treating the patient as an individual with their own wishes and preferences for care. These decisions may warrant discussion with the larger care team, or they may require swift action in a moment of crisis. Understanding ethics and the consequences of their actions can help a nurse make the best decision when it isn’t always apparent.

Four Ethical Principles in Nursing

Ethical principles of nursing include looking beyond the bedside to individual self-regard and human rights while striving to maintain health care advancement and social justice.

Developing an ethical awareness can ensure quality care. Nursing ethical principles can be broadly categorized into four major ethical nursing principles:

1. Autonomy: The right to self-determination. Autonomy in nursing means providing adequate information to allow patients to make their own decisions based on their beliefs and values, even if they aren’t the ones the nurse chooses. Autonomy also relates to only providing nursing care within the scope of practice defined by state and organizational rules. Examples of autonomy in nursing include administering PRN (pro re nata, ‘when required’) medications or assigning nursing duties based on levels of competence.

2. Beneficence: The promotion of good. Beneficence in nursing relates to ensuring that the patient’s best interest is considered, regardless of the nurse’s personal opinion. Examples of beneficence in nursing include providing comfort to a dying patient or assisting with tasks a patient cannot perform independently.

3. Justice: Fairness or an equal distribution of benefits. Justice in nursing relates to impartiality regarding a patient’s age, ethnicity, economic status, religion, or sexual orientation. Examples of justice in nursing include impartiality when assigning clinical or prioritizing patient care.

4. Non-maleficence: The avoidance or minimization of harm. Non-maleficence in nursing requires the provision of safe, effective, high-quality care. Examples of non-maleficence in nursing include holding a medication due to adverse reactions or taking steps to ensure a safe work environment.

Slovníček

ethics – etika
routinely – běžně
be at stake – být v sázce
care – péče
apparent – zřejmý
principles – zásady
self-regard – sebeúcta
human rights – lidská práva
autonomy – autonomie
self-determination – sebeurčení
beneficence – dobročinnost
assisting – pomoc
independently – nezávisle
justice – spravedlnost
impartiality – nestrannost
prioritizing – upřednostňující
non-maleficence – neškodlivost
avoidance – vyhýbání se
high-quality – vysoce kvalitní
environment – prostředí

 

Source: ANA Nursing Resources Hub, nursingworld.org.

 

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