Ethics is the study of good conduct and character and determining what is good or valuable for all people. It addresses personal behavior and issues of character beyond what is determined by law. A value represents a personal belief about worth while morals refer to judgments about behavior. Ethical principles that guide nurses include autonomy, justice, fidelity, beneficence, and nonmaleficence. International nursing codes establish responsibilities of nurses to patients, practice, society, coworkers, and the profession. The ICN Code specifies the fourfold responsibility of nurses to promote health, prevent illness, restore health, and alleviate suffering with respect for life and human rights.

1. ETHICS
Ethics is the study of good conduct, character and
motives. It is concerned with determining what is good or
valuables for all people
Ethical issues differ from legal issues. Content of the law
is determined by systems of government. Laws are
enforced by the same system. Breaking the law usually
results in public consequence. The law guides public
behaviour that will affect others and that will preserve
community.
Ethics has a broader base of interest and includes
personal behaviour and issues of character, such as
kindness, tolerance and generosity.

2. VALUE AND MORALS
A value is a personal belief about the worth you
hold for an idea, a custom, or an object. The
values reflect your cultural and social
influences. For e.g. if you live in rural place, you
may value the environment differently from
someone who visits rural areas for a short time.
Morals usually refer to judgment about
behaviour and ethics is the study of ideals of
right and wrong behaviour.

3. •Autonomy : Independence; self
determination; self reliance
•Justice: Fairness or equity
•Fidelity: Faithfulness; striving to keep
promises
•Beneficience: Actively seeking benefits;
promotion of good
•Nonmaleficience: Actively seeking to do
no harm.
Ethical principles

4. ICN CODE OF ETHICS
The International Council of Nursing (ICN) Code for
Nurses (1973) is similar to the foundations of the ANA
code. It speaks to the responsibilities of the nurse to other
people, to practice, to society, to co-workers, and to the
profession as a whole.
ICN Code for Nurses (1973)
Ethical Concepts Applied to Nursing
The fundamental responsibility of the nurse is
fourfold : to promote health, to prevent illness, to restore
health, and to alleviate suffering.
The need for nursing is universal. Inherent in
nursing is respect for life, dignity and rights of man. It is

5. • Nurses and People
• The nurses primary responsibility is to those people who
require nursing care.
• The nurse, in providing care, promotes an environment
in which the values, customs and spiritual beliefs of the
individual are respected.
• The nurse holds in confidence personal information and
uses judgment in sharing this information.
• The earlier term of patient has been replaced by that of
people which makes these responsibilities much broader.
The Code guides the nurse in two general areas of ethical
behaviour towards being served. First a person’s values,
customs and religious beliefs must be respected. Second
personal information about this person must be held in
confidence or shared only with judgments.

6. • Nurses and Pratices
• The nurse carries personal responsibility for nursing
practices and for maintaining competence by continual
learning.
• The nurse maintains the highest standards of nursing
care possible within the reality of a specific situation.
• The nurse uses judgment in relation to individual
competence when accepting and delegating responsibilities.
• The nurse when acting in a professional capacity should
at all times maintain standards of professional conduct
which reflect credit upon the profession.

7. • Nurse and Society
• The nurse shares with other citizens the responsibility for
initiating and supporting action to meet the health and social
needs of the public.
• The code states the responsibility of the nurse for positive
promotion of health for the public by both initiating and
supporting action to meet the health and social needs”. Social
needs are important because they are often closely related to the
health needs of the people. Poor housing, unemployment, poor
sanitation, malnutrition or illiteracy are thought as social needs
only. E .g. Poverty leads to lack of food and malnutrition which
may cause serious illnesses especially in children. Illiteracy ,
which means people cannot read prevents educating the public in
good health practices. Thus, helping to meet social needs of the
general public in good health practices. Thus, helping to meet
social needs of the general public is also a part of our
responsibility.

8. Nurses and Co-workers
The nurse sustains a co-
operative relationship with co-
workers in nursing and other
fields.
The nurse takes appropriate
action to safeguard the individual
when his care is endangered by a
co-worker or any other person.

9. Nurse and the Profession
The nurse plays the major role in determining and
implementing desirable standards of nursing practice and
nursing education.
The nurse is active in developing a core of professional
knowledge.
The nurse, acting through the professional organization,
participate in establishing and maintaining equitable social
and economic working conditions in nursing.

10. The professional codes of ethics in nursing serves as
standards for the behaviour of nurses and provide general
guidelines for nursing actions in ethical dilemmas.
The introduction to the Code gives a general description
if :
1.What the nurse does: The fourfold responsibility of
promoting health , preventing illness, restoring health and
alleviating suffering.
2.How nursing service should be given: with respect for
life, dignity and rights of mankind: unrestricted by
nationality , race, creed, colour, age, sex, politics or social
status; coordinated with related groups.
3.To whom service is given: the individual ,family and
community. Earlier versions of the Code stated that the
nurse should preserve life but the new Code states that the
nurse should “respect” life.