Characteristics and role of the professional nurse in

upholding ethical nursing practice

ByDr. Hanan Said Ali

Identify the characteristics and role of the professional nurse in upholding ethical nursing practice.

Explain the role of the professional nurse in upholding ethical nursing practice.

Nurses in all domains of practice bear the ethical responsibilities identified under each of the seven primary nursing values.

The responsibilities are intended to help nurses apply the code, help their colleagues and student nurses implement the code.

Ethical responsibilities: Nurses engage in compassionate care through their

speech and body language.

Nurses build trustworthy relationships as the foundation of meaningful communication.

Nurses question and intervene to address unsafe, non- compassionate, unethical or incomplete practice or conditions that interfere with their ability to provide safe care.

Ethical responsibilities: Nurses admit mistakes’ and take all necessary actions to

prevent or minimize harm arising from an adverse event.

Nurses planning to take job action or practicing in environments where action occurs take steps safeguard the health and safety of people.

Nurses support, use and engage in research and other activities that promote safe, competent.

Ethical responsibilities:

Nurses work to prevent and minimize all forms of violence by anticipating and assessing the risk of violent situations.

During a natural or human- made disaster, including a communicable disease outbreak, nurses have a duty to provide care using appropriate safety precautions.

Ethical responsibilities:

Nurses provide care directed first and foremost toward the health and well- being of the person, family, or community in their care.

When a community health intervention interferes with the individual rights of persons receiving care, nurses use and advocate for the use of the least restrictive measures.

Ethical responsibilities:

Nurses collaborate with other health- care providers and other interested parties to maximize health benefits to person receiving care, skills and perspectives of all.

Ethical responsibilities: Nurses must provide persons in their care with the

information they need to make informed decision.

Nurses respect the wishes of capable persons to decline to receive information about their health condition.

Nurses ensure that nursing care is provided with the person’s informed consent . She must recognize and support a capable person’s right to refuse or withdraw consent for care.

Ethical responsibilities: When family members disagree with the decisions made

by a person with health- care needs, nurses assist families in gaining an understanding of the person’ decisions.

Nursing respect the informed decision- making of capable persons, including choice of lifestyles or treatment not conductive to good health.

Ethical responsibilities:

When illness or other factors reduce a person’s capacity for making choice , she must assist him to participate in making choice appropriate to their capability.

Nurses along with other health- care professionals with substitute decision- makers, consider and respect the best interests of the person receiving care.

Ethical responsibilities:

Nurses in their professional capacity, relate to all persons with respect.

Nurses support the person, family, group, community receiving care in maintaining their dignity and integrity.

The nurse must take into account their unique values, customs and spiritual believes & social and economic case.

Ethical responsibilities:

Nurses respect the physical privacy of persons by providing care in a discreet manner and by minimizing intrusions.

When providing care, nurses utilize practice standard, best practice guidelines and policies concerning restraint usage.

Nurses maintain appropriate professional boundaries and ensure their relationship are always for the benefit of the persons they serve.

Ethical responsibilities:

In all practice settings, nurses work to relieve pain and suffering by pain management, to allow persons to live with dignity.

When a person receiving care is terminally ill or dying, nurses foster comfort, alleviate suffering,, support a dignified and peaceful death.

Nurses treat each others in a respectful manner.

Ethical responsibilities:

Nurses respect the right of people to have control over the collection, use, access and disclosure of their personal information.

When nurses are conversing with persons receiving care, they take reasonable measures to prevent confidential information in the conversation from being overheard.

Ethical responsibilities:

When nurses are required to disclose information for a particular purpose, they disclose only the amount of information necessary for that purpose and inform only those necessary.

When nurses engage in any form of communication, including verbal or electronic, they ensure that their discussion of persons receiving care is respectful.

Ethical responsibilities: Nurses respect policies that protect and preserve people’s

privacy, including security safeguard in information Tech.

Nurses do not abuse their access to information by accessing health- care records for purposes inconsistent with their professional obligation.

Nurses do not use photo or other technology to intrude into the privacy of a person receiving care.

Ethical responsibilities:

When providing care, nurses do not discriminate on the basis of a person’s race, ethnicity, culture, political and spiritual beliefs, social, age, lifestyle, physical ability.

Nurses refrain from judging, labeling, stigmatizing, and humiliating behaviours toward persons receiving care, other health- care professionals and each other.

Ethical responsibilities:

Nurses do not engage in any form of lying, punishment or any form of unusual treatment or action that is inhumane or degrading.

Nurses make fair decisions about the allocation of resources under their control based on the needs of persons, groups ( provide fair treatment and for fair distribution of resources)

Ethical responsibilities:

Nurses as members of a self- regulating profession, practice according to the values and responsibilities in the Code of Ethics

Nurses practice within the limits of their competence. When beyond their level of competence, they seek additional information or knowledge, seek help from their supervisor.

Ethical responsibilities:

Nurses are honest and practice with integrity in all of their professional interaction.

Nurses maintain their fitness to practice. If they are aware that they do not have the necessary physical, mental or emotional capacity to practice safely and competently, they withdraw from the provision of care after consulting their employer. Nurses then take the necessary steps to regain their fitness to practice.

Ethical responsibilities: Nurses are attentive to signs that a colleague is unable to

perform his or her duties ( protect the safety of persons receiving care).

Nurses clearly and accurately represent themselves with respect to their name, title and role.

Nurses disclose actual or potential conflicts that arise in their professional roles.

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