Ethics

• ETHOS


  Greek word
• Nursing Code of Ethics

  A guide to carrying out nursing responsibilities in a manner consistent with quality in nursing care and the ethical obligations of the profession
• Nursing Code of Ethics


  • Refers to the patients right to make his or her own decision regarding his/her care
  • Healthworkers have a duty to refrain from maltreatment, minimize harm, and promote good towards patients
  • Nurses should avoid causing harm to patients
  • All patients have a right to be treated fair and equally by others
• Almost all Code of Ethics for nurses in the world agree on

  • Practice of competence
  • Protection of patient confidentiality
  • Nondiscrimination of patients
  • Ethical accountability of the nurse
• Provisions of the Nursing Code of Ethics

  • PROVISION 1. The nurse practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and unique attributes of every person
  • PROVISION 3. The nurse promotes, advocates for, and protects the rights, health, and safety of the patient
  • PROVISION 2. The nurse's primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group, community, or population
  • PROVISION 4. The nurse has authority, accountability, and responsibility for nursing practice; makes decisions; and takes action consistent with the obligation to provide optimal patient care
  • PROVISION 5. The nurse owes the same duties to self as to others, including the responsibility to promote health and safety, preserve wholeness of character and integrity, maintain competence, and continue personal and professional growth
  • PROVISION 6. The nurse, through individual and collective effort, establishes, maintains, and improves the ethical environment of the work setting and conditions of employment that are conducive to safe, quality health care
  • PROVISION 7. The nurse, in all roles and settings, advances the profession through research and scholarly inquiry, professional standards development, and the generation of both nursing and health policy
  • PROVISION 8. The nurse collaborates with other health professionals and the public to protect human rights, promote health diplomacy, and reduce health disparities
  • PROVISION 9. The profession of nursing, collectively through its professional organization, must articulate nursing values, maintain the integrity of the profession, and integrate principles of social justice into nursing and health policy
• Patient Rights


  • Right to appropriate medical and humane treatment
  • Right to INFORMATION
  • Right to INFORMED CONSENT
  • Right to PRIVACY and CONFIDENTIALITY
  • Right to self-determination
  • Right to refuse or participate in medical research
  • Right to refuse treatment/life-giving measures, to the extent permitted by law and to be informed of the medical consequence of his action
  • Right to religious beliefs
  • Right to express grievances
  • Right to leave
  • Right to choose healthcare provider and facility
  • Right to know what hospital rules and regulations apply to his conduct as a patient
  • Right to correspondence and to receive visitors
• What to Expect in your hospital stay?

  • High quality hospital care
  • A clean and safe environment
  • Involvement in your care
  • Protection of your privacy
  • Help when leaving the hospital
  • Help with your billing claims
• Every person has a right to health and medical care corresponding to his state of health, without any discrimination, irrespective of socio-economic status and within the limits of the resources, manpower and competence available for health and medical care at the relevant time. The patient has the right to appropriate health and medical care of good quality. In the course of such, his human dignity, convictions, integrity, individual needs and culture shall be respected.
• The patient has the right to be informed of


  • Result of the evaluation of the nature and extent of his/her disease
  • Any other additional or further contemplated medical treatment on surgical procedure or procedures
  • Any other additional medicines to be administered and their generic counterpart including the possible complications
  • Any change in the plan of care before the change is made, the person's participation in the plan of care before the change is made
• The patient is entitled to a summary of his medical history and condition. He has the right to view the contents of his medical records, except psychiatric notes and other incriminatory information obtained about third parties, with the attending physician explaining contents thereof.
• An explanation of an itemized bill of the hospital and medical services rendered in the facility, the physician and other healthcare providers should be given to the patient/legal guardian regardless of the manner and source of payment.
• Discharge Information


  • Appointment times
  • Home medication instructions
  • Diet
  • Physical Activity
• Informed Consent


  A clear, truthful and substantial explanation, in a manner and language understandable to the patient, of all proposed procedures, wherein the person who will perform the said procedure shall provide his name and credentials to the patient, possibilities of any risk of mortality or serious side effects, problems related to recuperation, and probability of success and reasonable risks involved
• Elements of Consent


  • Completeness
  • Comprehension
  • Voluntariness
  • Competence
• In cases where patient is incapable of giving consent (in order of priority)

  • Spouse
  • Son or Daughter of Legal Age
  • Either Parent
  • Brother or Sister of Legal Age, or
  • Guardian
• Instances when Informed Consent is Waived

  • In emergency cases
  • When the health of the population is dependent on the adoption of a mass health program to control epidemic
  • When the law makes it compulsory for everyone to submit a procedure
  • When disclosure of material information to patient will jeopardize the success of treatment, in which case, third party disclosure and consent shall be in order
  • When the patient waives his right in writing
• Florence Nightingale: '"I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession, and will hold in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping, and all family affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my calling"'