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Code of ethics for nurses

The document discusses the code of ethics for nursing. It begins by defining what a code of ethics is and how it provides standards of behavior for a profession. It then discusses the specific nursing code of ethics, its purposes, and the evolution of the International Council of Nurses' code of ethics. The code has four main elements: nurses and people, nurses and practice, nurses and the profession, and nurses and co-workers. It outlines nurses' responsibilities and basic ethical principles like respect for persons, accountability, and confidentiality that nurses should uphold.

Healthcare◦
A . D E E P A R A N I . , R N R M . D . N . S . P R A S H A N T H H O S P I T A L . CODE OF ETHICS
CODE OF ETHICS  Code of ethics is a set of ethical principles that are accepted by all members of aprofession.  A profession’s ethical code is a collectivestatement about the group’s expectations and standards of behaviour .
NURSING CODE OF ETHICS  Nursing ethics state the duties and obligation of nurses to their clients, other health professionals, the profession and thecommunity.  Nursing ethics provide the standards for professional behaviour and is the study of principles of right and wrong conduct for nurses.
EVOLUTION OF ICN CODE OF ETHICS  Nursing profession uses codes for Nurses:Ethical concepts Applied to Nursing as its guide for professional conduct. This code is adopted and published by the ICN.  The first such Code of Ethics, called theInternational Code of Nursing Ethics, wasadopted by the Grand council of the International Council of Nurses at Sao Paulo, Brazil in 1953
EVOLUTION OF ICN CODE OF ETHICS  It was later revised in Frankfurt, Germany in1965 andthen became known as the ICNCode of Ethics.  The most recent revision in1973took place in Mexico and resulted in the present “Codefor Nurses”.  It has been revised andreaffirmed at various times since, mostrecently with this review and revisioncompleted in2005.
PURPOSES  Code of Ethics serve as a means of self-regulation and a source of guidelines for individual behaviour and responsibility.  It can be used to prevent a nurse frompracticing if her/his conduct is poor andclearly below the standards set by the Code.
PURPOSES  It can be used to protect the nurse who isfalsely accused of doing something wrong.  It helps teachers to know what must betaught in the education of the nurse.  It can also be used as a guide for directionwhen a legal action must be taken in a lawsuit.
THE ICN CODE OF ETHICS FOR NURSES  An international code of ethics for nurses wasfirst adopted by theInternational Council of Nurses (ICN) in 1953.  It has been revised and reaffirmed at varioustimes since, most recently with this reviewand revision completed in2005
Nurses have four fundamental responsibilities:  to promote health,  to prevent illness,  to restore health  to alleviate suffering The need for nursing is universal. Inherent in nursing is respect for humanrights, including cultural rights, the right to lifeand choice, to dignity and to be treated withrespect.
 Nursing care is respectful of and unrestrictedby considerations of age, colour, creed,culture, disability or illness, gender, sexualorientation, nationality, politics, race or socialstatus.  Nurses render health services to theindividual, the family and the community andco-ordinate their services with those of related groups.
THE ICN CODE  THE ICN CODE  The  ICN Code of Ethics for Nurses has four principal elements that outline the standardsof ethical conduct.  ELEMENTS OF THE CODE  1. NURSES AND PEOPLE  2. NURSES AND PRACTICE  3. NURSES AND THE PROFESSION  4. NURSES AND CO-WORKERS
 NURSES AND PEOPLE  The nurse’s primary professional  responsibility is to people requiring nursingcare.  In providing care, the nurse promotes anenvironment in which the human rights,values, customs and spiritual beliefs of theindividual, family and community arerespected.  The nurse ensures that the individualreceives sufficient information on which tobase consent for care and related treatment.
 The nurse holds in confidence personalinformation and uses judgement in sharingthis information.  The nurse shares with society theresponsibility for initiating and supportingaction to meet the health and social needs of the public, in particular those of vulnerablepopulations.  The nurse also shares responsibility tosustain and protect the natural environmentfrom depletion, pollution, degradationanddestruction.
 2. NURSES AND PRACTICE  The nurse carries personal responsibility andaccountability for nursing practice, and for maintaining competence by continuallearning.  The nurse maintains a standard of personalhealth such that the ability to provide care isnot compromised.  The nurse uses judgement regardingindividual competence when accepting anddelegating responsibility.
 The nurse at all times maintains standards of personal conduct which reflect well on theprofession and enhance public confidence.  The nurse, in providing care, ensures thatuse of technology and scientific advances arecompatible with the safety, dignity andrightsof people.
 3. NURSES AND THEPROFESSION  The nurse assumes the major role indetermining and implementing acceptablestandards of clinical nursing practice,management, research and education.  The nurse is active in developing a core of research- based professional knowledge.
3. NURSES AND THE PROFESSION  The nurse, acting through the professional organisation,participates in creating andmaintaining safe, equitable social andeconomic working conditions in nursing.
4. NURSES AND CO-WORKERS  The nurse sustains a co-operativerelationship with co-workers in nursing andother fields.  The nurse takes appropriate action to safeguard individuals, families and communities when their health is endangered by a coworker or any other person.
BASIC ETHICAL PRINCIPLES  International Council of Nurses proposedsome basic ethical principles. They are to be followed by each members of our profession.  Ethical principles actually controlprofessionalism nursing practice much more than to ethical theories.
RESPECT FOR PERSONS  It directs individuals to treat themselves and other, with a respect inherent to man’s humanness.  It requires recognition on a sense that allshare a common human destiny.
ACCOUNTABILITY  Accountability refers to the ability to answer for one’s own actions. The nurse balances accountability to the client, the profession, theemployer and society.  Accountability means being answerable for acts carried out in the performance of one’s professional role.
Domains of accountability  Professional accountability  Organizational accountability  Legal accountability  Individual accountability
RESPECT FOR AUTONOMY  Autonomy is defined as the freedom to makeprudent and binding decisions consistent with the scope of one’s practice.  It is also freedom to implement thosedecisions. Respect for another’s autonomy is fundamental to the practice of health care.  It serves to justify the inclusion of clients in all aspects of decision making regarding their health care.
RESPECT FOR FREEDOM  Nurses as a group believe that patient shouldhave greater freedom of choice within thenations health care system.  This principle should be observed by staff nurses when planning patient care; by nursemanger when leading subordinates
BENEFICENCE  Beneficence refers to taking positivereactions to help others. The practice of beneficence encourages the urge to do goodfor others. It dictates that a person is obligedto help others to advance their legitimate andimportant interests.  Commitment to beneficence helps to guidedifficult decisions where in the benefits of atreatment may be challenged by risks to theclient’s well-being or dignity.
NON-MALEFICENCE  Non- maleficence is the avoidance of harm or hurt. In health care ethics it is important toremember that ethical practice involves notonly the will to do good, but also the equalcommitment to do no harm.  The standards of non-maleficence promotesa continuing effort to consider the potentialfor harm even when it may be necessary topromote health.
VERACITY  Veracity concerns truth telling and incorporates theconcept that individuals should always tell the truth.  It requires professional care-givers to provide withaccurate, reality based information about their health status and care or treatment prospection.  Truth telling is an ethical concern for nurses,because truth is the basis for mutual trust between patient and nurse, and trust is the basis for patient’s hope of benefit from nursing services
JUSTICE  Justice concerns the issue that personsshould be treated equally and fairly.  This principle of justice requires treatingothers fairly and giving persons their due.
FIDELITY  Fidelity is keeping one’s promises or commitments. The principle of fidelity holdsthat a person should faithfully fulfill his dutiesand obligations.  Fidelity is important in a nurse because a patient’s hope for relief and recovery rests on evidence care givers conscientiousness.
CONFEDENTIALITY  Confidentiality is the duty to respectprivileged information.  The principle of confidentiality provides thatcare givers should respect a patient need for privacy and use personal information abouthim or her only to improve care.
Thank you..........