Nurses have four fundamental responsibilities: 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 human rights, including cultural
rights, the right to life and choice, to dignity and to be treated with respect. Nursing care is respectful of and unrestricted by considerations of age, colour, creed, culture, disability or illness, gender,
sexual orientation, nationality, politics, race or social status. Nurses render health services to the individual, the family and the community and co-ordinate their services with those of related groups.
ELEMENTS OF THE CODE
1. NURSES AND PEOPLE
The nurse’s primary professional responsibility is to people requiring
nursing care.
In providing care, the nurse promotes an environment in which the
human rights, values, customs and spiritual beliefs of the individual,
family and community are respected.
The nurse ensures that the individual receives sufficient information
on which to base consent for care and related treatment.
The nurse holds in confidence personal information and uses judgement
in sharing this information.
The nurse shares with society the responsibility for initiating and supporting
action to meet the health and social needs of the public, in
particular those of vulnerable populations.
The nurse also shares responsibility to sustain and protect the natural
environment from depletion, pollution, degradation and
destruction.
2. NURSES AND PRACTICE
The nurse carries personal responsibility and accountability for
nursing practice, and for maintaining competence by continual
learning.
2
The nurse maintains a standard of personal health such that the
ability to provide care is not compromised.
The nurse maintains a standard of personal health such that the
ability to provide care is not compromised.
The nurse at all times maintains standards of personal conduct
which reflect well on the profession and enhance public confidence.
The nurse, in providing care, ensures that use of technology and
scientific advances are compatible with the safety, dignity and
rights of people.
3. NURSES AND THE PROFESSION
The nurse assumes the major role in determining and implementing
acceptable standards of clinical nursing practice, management,
research and education.
The nurse is active in developing a core of research-based professional
knowledge.
The nurse, acting through the professional organisation, participates
in creating and maintaining safe, equitable social and economic
working conditions in nursing.
4. 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 individuals, families
and communities when their health is endangered by a coworker
or any other person.
3
SUGGESTIONS FOR USE OF THE ICN CODE OF ETHICS FOR NURSES
SUGGESTIONS FOR USE OF THE ICN CODE OF ETHICS FOR NURSES
ument
if applied to the realities of nursing and health care in a
changing society.
To achieve its purpose the Code must be understood, internalised
and used by nurses in all aspects of their work. It must be available
to students and nurses throughout their study and work lives.
APPLYING THE ELEMENTS OF THE ICN CODE OF ETHICS FOR NURSES
The four elements of the ICN Code of Ethics for Nurses : nurses and
people, nurses and practice, nurses and the profession, and nurses
and co-workers, give a framework for the standards of conduct. The
following chart will assist nurses to translate the standards into
action. Nurses and nursing students can therefore:
‘ Study the standards under each element of the Code.
‘ Reflect on what each standard means to you. Think about how you
can apply ethics in your nursing domain: practice, education,
research or management.
‘ Discuss the Code with co-workers and others.
‘ Use a specific example from experience to identify ethical dilemmas
and standards of conduct as outlined in the Code. Identify
how you would resolve the dilemmas.
‘ Work in groups to clarify ethical decision making and reach a
consensus on standards of ethical conduct.
‘ Collaborate with your national nurses’ association, co-workers,
and others in the continuous application of ethical standards in
nursing practice, education, management and research.
4
Element of the Code # 1: NURSES AND PEOPLE Element of the Code # 1: NURSES AND PEOPLE
Educators and
Researchers
National Nurses’
Associations
Provide care that In curriculum include Develop position
respects human references to human statements and
rights and is sensirights,
equity, justice, guidelines that
tive to the values, solidarity as the basis support human
customs and beliefs for access to care. rights and ethical
of all people. standards.
Provide continuing
education in ethical
issues.
Provide teaching and
learning opportunities
for ethical issues and
decision making.
Lobby for involvement
of nurses in
ethics review
committees.
Provide sufficient Provide Provide guidelines,
information to teaching/learning position statements
permit informed opportunities and continuing
consent and the related to informed education related to
right to choose or consent. informed consent.
refuse treatment.
Use recording and Introduce into Incorporate issues
information curriculum concepts of confidentiality
management of privacy and confiand
privacy into
systems that ensure dentiality. a national code of
confidentiality. ethics for nurses.
Develop and Sensitise students to Advocate for safe
monitor environthe
importance of and healthy
mental safety in the social action in environment.
workplace. current concerns.
5
Element of the Code # 2 : NURSES AND PRACTICE Element of the Code # 2 : NURSES AND PRACTICE
Educators and
Researchers
National Nurses’
Associations
Establish standards Provide Provide access
of care and a teaching/learning to continuing
work setting that opportunities that education, through
promotes safety foster life long journals, confer-
and quality care. learning and
competence for
practice.
ences, distance
education, etc.
Establish systems
for professional
appraisal, continuing
education and
systematic renewal
of licensure to
practice.
Conduct and disseminate
research
that shows links
between continual
learning and
competence to
practice.
Lobby to ensure
continuing education
opportunities
and quality care
standards.
Monitor and
promote the
personal health of
nursing staff in
relation to their
competence for
practice.
Promote the
importance of personal
health and
illustrate its relation
to other values.
Promote healthy
lifestyles for
nursing professionals.
Lobby
for healthy work
places and
services for nurses.
6
Element of the Code # 3: NURSES AND THE PROFESSION Element of the Code # 3: NURSES AND THE PROFESSION
Educators and
Researchers
National Nurses’
Associations
Set standards for Provide Collaborate with
nursing practice, teaching/learning others to set
research, opportunities in standards for
education and setting standards nursing education,
management. for nursing
practice, research,
education and
management.
practice, research
and management.
Foster workplace
support of the
conduct,
dissemination and
utilisation of
research related
to nursing and
health.
Conduct, disseminate
and utilise
research to
advance the
nursing profession.
Develop position
statements,
guidelines and
standards related
to nursing
research.
Promote participation
in national
nurses’ associations
so as to
create favourable
socio-economic
conditions for
nurses.
Sensitise learners
to the importance
of professional
nursing associations.
Lobby for fair
social and
economic working
conditions in
nursing. Develop
position statements
and guidelines in
workplace issues.
7
Element of the Code #4 : NURSES AND CO-WORKERS Element of the Code #4 : NURSES AND CO-WORKERS
Educators and
Researchers
National Nurses’
Associations
Create awareness
of specific and
overlapping
functions and the
potential for
interdisciplinary
tensions.
Develop understanding
of the
roles of other
workers.
Stimulate
co-operation with
other related
disciplines.
Develop workplace
systems that
support common
professional
ethical values and
behaviour.
Communicate
nursing ethics to
other professions.
Develop awareness
of ethical issues of
other professions.
Develop
mechanisms to
safeguard the
individual, family
or community
when their care is
endangered by
health care
personnel.
Instil in learners
the need to
safeguard the
individual, family
or community when
care is endangered
by health care
personnel.
Provide guidelines,
position statements
and discussion
fora related to
safeguarding
people when their
care is endangered
by health care
personnel.
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DISSEMINATION OF THE ICN CODE OF ETHICS FOR NURSES
DISSEMINATION OF THE ICN CODE OF ETHICS FOR NURSES
ing
groups, human rights organisations and employers of nurses.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN THE ICN CODE OF ETHICS FOR NURSES
Co-worker
Other nurses and other health and non-health
related workers and professionals.
Co-operative A professional relationship based on collegial
relationship and reciprocal actions, and behaviour that
aim to achieve certain goals.
Family
A social unit composed of members connected
through blood, kinship, emotional or legal
relationships.
Nurse shares A nurse, as a health professional and a citizen,
with society initiates and supports appropriate action to
meet the health and social needs of the public.
Personal health
Mental, physical, social and spiritual wellbeing
of the nurse.
Personal
Information obtained during professional
information
contact that is private to an individual or family,
and which, when disclosed, may violate the
right to privacy, cause inconvenience, embarrassment,
or harm to the individual or family.
Related groups
Other nurses, health care workers or other professionals
providing service to an individual,
family or community and working toward
desired goals.
9
International Council of Nurses
3, place Jean-Marteau
1201 Geneva, Switzerland
Tel. +41 (22) 908 01 00
Fax +41 (22) 908 01 01
email: [email protected]
Web site: www.icn.ch
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