As we all know, nurses continue to be identified by most Americans as the most trusted and honest professionals in the country. For this reason, the high ethical standards set by the profession pay extraordinary dividends for everyone involved. Speaking of ethics, what are the ethical standards of nursing, and what do they mean?

Ethical Standards Hold Meaning

Anyone can pay lip service to ethical principles, but when it comes to delivering patient care within a complex healthcare system, the ethical principles of nursing hold a great deal of meaning.

Ethics guide how we approach and interact with patients and their families, what and how we choose to communicate, our professional conduct with our colleagues, and the ways in which we handle patients’ private personal health information (PHI). Every action we take as nurses is meaningful, and those actions should all be governed by the ethical underpinnings of the profession and our own personal moral and ethical standards.

According to the American Nurses Association

, ethics matter: “The American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements (Code of Ethics) has been a guide and reference for registered nurses since its development in the 1950s. It serves as a moral compass to promote high levels of care, an ethical standard for those entering the nursing profession, and a commitment to society affirming the responsibilities of the registered nurse.

“The Code of Ethics has been revised to reflect technological advances, societal changes, and the expansion of the nursing practice. Nurses draw upon ethical nursing principles daily to make patient care decisions. That’s one reason that for over two decades, nurses have led Gallup’s annual ranking of professions for high honesty and ethics.”

Since ethics are complex and the ANA’s literature on the subject is extensive, the organization’s breakdown of four more straightforward core ethical principles helps understand the basics.

Ethical Principle #1: Autonomy

The ANA defines autonomy thus: “The right to self-determination. Autonomy in nursing means providing adequate information to allow patients to make their own decisions based on their beliefs and values, even if they aren’t the ones the nurse chooses. Autonomy also relates to only providing nursing care within the scope of practice defined by state and organizational rules. Examples of autonomy in nursing include administering PRN medications or assigning nursing duties based on levels of competence.”

There is no question that patients’ autonomy must be honored at all times. Most nurses also have experienced being patients themselves, so this principle’s paramount importance is easy to understand on a personal level.

It is worth noting that the ANA also includes nurses’ autonomy within the healthcare system. This relates to nurses adhering to the crucial principle of working within their defined scope of practice.

Ethical Principle #2: Beneficence

Nothing could be more core to nursing than wanting to do good. Ask almost any nurse, and you’ll hear that helping others was a driving force behind becoming a nurse in the first place. We want to do right by our patients and their families, not to mention our colleagues, and the concept of beneficence is powerful for our profession.

The ANA discusses this principle in this way: “The promotion of good. Beneficence in nursing relates to ensuring that the patient’s best interest is considered, regardless of the nurse’s personal opinion. Examples of beneficence in nursing include providing comfort to a dying patient or assisting with tasks a patient cannot perform independently.”

Ethical Principle #3: Justice

Our healthcare system and society face significant inequities, but those of us in healthcare strive to create a fair environment where patients’ needs are addressed. While we cannot single-handedly resolve issues like the unequal distribution of wealth, poverty, homelessness, hunger, and other social challenges, we can promote justice through our actions as nurses.

The ANA discusses justice in this manner: “Fairness or an equal distribution of benefits. Justice in nursing relates to impartiality regarding a patient’s age, ethnicity, economic status, religion, or sexual orientation. Examples of justice in nursing include impartiality when assigning clinical or prioritizing patient care.”

Just care is essential whether we’re working with underserved populations, ethnic minorities, or members of groups who are in the majority in their community. Everyone deserves justice.

Ethical Principle #4: Nonmaleficence

While doing good (principle #2) is key, we must also address the concept of doing no harm, which parallels the Hippocratic Oath taken by physicians.

The ANA discusses nonmaleficence thus: “The avoidance or minimization of harm. Nonmaleficence in nursing requires the provision of safe, effective, high-quality care. Examples of nonmaleficence in nursing include holding a medication due to adverse reactions or taking steps to ensure a safe work environment.”

At the very least, our care must not cause home, and if it can do good, we are fulfilling a large part of our obligation and mission as healthcare professionals.

Ethics Matter

When it comes down to it, ethics matter, and the core ethical principles of nursing should be easy enough to use as guiding lights in our practice, relationships, and communication with patients, their families, and our colleagues.

We nurses are creatures steeped in the concept of service to humanity, and the ethics that inform our profession are worthy rules to live and work by.

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