Code of ethics for nurses

1. 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

2. 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 .

3. 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.

4. 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

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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

9. 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.

10.  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.

11. 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

12.  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.

13.  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.

14.  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.

15.  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.

16.  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.

17. 3. NURSES AND THE PROFESSION
 The nurse, acting through the professional
organisation,participates in creating andmaintaining
safe, equitable social andeconomic working
conditions in nursing.

18. 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.

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. 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.

22. Domains of accountability
 Professional accountability
 Organizational accountability
 Legal accountability
 Individual accountability

23. 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.

24. 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

25. 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.

26. 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.

27. 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

28. JUSTICE
 Justice concerns the issue that personsshould be
treated equally and fairly.
 This principle of justice requires treatingothers fairly
and giving persons their due.

29. 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.

30. 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.

32. Thank you..........