THE ICN CODE OF ETHICS FOR NURSES

1 THE ICNCODE OF ETHICSFOR NURSESI nternational Council of NursesRevised 2012 THE ICN CODE OF ETHICS FOR NURSESAn international code of ETHICS for NURSES was firstadopted by the International Council of NURSES (ICN)in 1953. It has been revised and reaffirmed at varioustimes since, most recently with this review andrevision completed in have four fundamental responsibilities: to promotehealth, to prevent illness, to restore health and to alleviatesuffering. The need for nursing is in nursing is a respect for human rights, includingcultural rights, the right to life and choice, to dignity and tobe treated with respect. Nursing care is respectful of andunrestricted by considerations of age, colour, creed, culture,disability or illness, gender, sexual orientation, nationality,politics, race or social render health services to the individual, the family andthe community and coordinate their services with those ofrelated rights, including translation into other languages, reserved.

2 This work maybe reprinted and redistributed, in whole or in part, without alteration and withoutprior written permission, provided the source is 2012 by ICN International Council of NURSES ,3, place Jean-Marteau, 1201 Geneva, SwitzerlandISBN: 978-92-95094-95-6 THE ICN CODEThe ICN Code of ETHICS for NURSES has four principalelements that outline the standards of ethical OF THE CODE1. NURSES and peopleThe nurse s primary professional responsibility is to peoplerequiring nursing providing care, the nurse promotes an environment in whichthe human rights, values, customs and spiritual beliefs of theindividual, family and community are nurse ensures that the individual receives accurate,sufficient and timely information in a culturally appropriatemanner on which to base consent for care and nurse holds in confidence personal information and usesjudgement in sharing this nurse shares with society the responsibility for initiatingand supporting action to meet the health and social needs ofthe public.

3 In particular those of vulnerable nurse advocates for equity and social justice in resourceallocation, access to health care and other social andeconomic nurse demonstrates professional values such asrespectfulness, responsiveness, compassion, trustworthinessand NURSES and practiceThe nurse carries personal responsibility and accountabilityfor nursing practice, and for maintaining competence by nurse maintains a standard of personal health such that theability to provide care is not nurse uses judgement regarding individual competence whenaccepting and delegating nurse at all times maintains standards of personal conductwhich reflect well on the profession and enhance its image andpublic nurse, in providing care, ensures that use of technology andscientific advances are compatible with the safety, dignity andrights of nurse strives to foster and maintain a practice culturepromoting ethical behaviour and open NURSES and the professionThe nurse assumes the major role in determining andimplementing acceptable standards of clinical nursing practice,management, research and nurse is active in developing a core of research-basedprofessional knowledge that supports evidence-based nurse is active in developing and sustaining a core ofprofessional nurse, acting through the professional organisation,participates in creating a positive practice environment andmaintaining safe.

4 Equitable social and economic workingconditions in nurse practices to sustain and protect the naturalenvironment and is aware of its consequences on nurse contributes to an ethical organisational environmentand challenges unethical practices and NURSES and co-workersThe nurse sustains a collaborative and respectful relationshipwith co-workers in nursing and other nurse takes appropriate action to safeguard individuals,families and communities when their health is endangeredby a co-worker or any other nurse takes appropriate action to support and guideco-workers to advance ethical FOR USEof the ICN Code of ETHICS for NursesThe ICN Code of ETHICS for NURSES is a guide for action basedon social values and needs.

5 It will have meaning only as aliving document if applied to the realities of nursing andhealth care in a changing achieve its purpose the Code must be understood,internalised and used by NURSES in all aspects of their must be available to students and NURSES throughout theirstudy and work THE ELEMENTSof the ICN Code of ETHICS for NursesThe four elements of the ICN Code of ETHICS for NURSES : NURSES and people, NURSES and practice, NURSES and theprofession, and NURSES and co-workers, give a framework forthe standards of conduct. The following chart will assistnurses to translate the standards into and nursing students can therefore:l Study the standards under each element of the Reflect on what each standard means to you.

6 Think abouthow you can apply ETHICS in your nursing domain: practice,education, research or Discuss the Code with co-workers and Use a specific example from experience to identify ethicaldilemmas and standards of conduct as outlined in the how you would resolve the Work in groups to clarify ethical decision making and reacha consensus on standards of ethical Collaborate with your National NURSES Association,co-workers, and others in the continuous application ofethical standards in nursing practice, education,management and of the Code # 1: NURSES AND PEOPLEP ractitioners andManagersEducators andResearchersNational NursesAssociationsProvide care thatrespects human rightsand is sensitive to thevalues, customs andbeliefs of curriculum includereferences to humanrights, equity , justice,solidarity as the basisfor access to positionstatements andguidelines that supporthuman rights andethical continuingeducation in teaching andlearning opportunitiesfor ethical issues anddecision for involvementof NURSES in sufficientinformation to permitinformed consent tonursing and/or medicalcare, and the right tochoose or teaching/learning opportunitiesrelated to informedconsent, privacyand confidentiality,beneficence guidelines,position statements.

7 Relevant documentationand continuingeducation related toinformed consentto nursing and recording andinformation manage-ment systems thatensure intocurriculum concepts ofprofessional issues ofconfidentiality andprivacy into a nationalcode of ETHICS and monitorenvironmental safetyin the students tothe importance ofsocial action in for safe andhealthy of the Code # 2: NURSES AND PRACTICEP ractitioners andManagersEducators andResearchersNational NursesAssociationsEstablish standards ofcare and a work settingthat promotes teaching/learning opportunitiesthat foster life longlearning and compe-tence for access tocontinuing education,through journals,conferences, distanceeducation, systems forprofessional appraisal.

8 Continuing educationand systematic renewalof licensure to and disseminate research that shows links between continual learning and competence to to ensurecontinuing educationopportunities andquality care and promotethe personal health ofnursing staff in relationto their competence for the importance of personal health and illustrate its relation to other healthylifestyles for nursingprofessionals. Lobby forhealthy workplaces andservices for of the Code # 3: NURSES AND THE PROFESSIONP ractitioners andManagersEducators andResearchersNational NursesAssociationsSet standards fornursing practice,research, educationand teaching/learning opportunitiesin setting standardsfor nursing practice,research, educationand with othersto set standards fornursing education,practice, research workplacesupport of the conduct,dissemination andutilisation of researchrelated to nursing , disseminateand utilise research toadvance the positionstatements.

9 Guidelinesand standards relatedto nursing participationin national NURSES associations so as tocreate favourablesocioeconomicconditions for learners tothe importance ofprofessional for fair socialand economic workingconditions in positionstatements andguidelines in of the Code # 4: NURSES AND CO-WORKERSP ractitioners andManagersEducators andResearchersNational NursesAssociationsCreate awareness ofspecific and overlappingfunctions and thepotential forinterdisciplinarytensions and createstrategies for understandingof the roles of co-operationwith other workplacesystems that supportcommon professionalethical values nursingethics to awareness ofethical issues of mechanismsto safeguard theindividual, family orcommunity when theircare is endangered byhealth care in learners theneed to safeguard theindividual, family orcommunity when careis endangered by healthcare guidelines.

10 Position statements anddiscussion fora relatedto safeguarding peoplewhen their care isendangered by healthcare the ICN Code of ETHICS for NursesTo be effective the ICN Code of ETHICS for NURSES must be familiar tonurses. We encourage you to help with its dissemination to schools ofnursing, practising NURSES , the nursing press and other mass Code should also be disseminated to other health professions, thegeneral public, consumer and policy-making groups, human rightsorganisations and employers of OF TERMS USEDin the ICN Code of ETHICS for NursesCo-worker Other NURSES and other health and non-health related workers relationship A professional relationship based on collegial and reciprocal actionsand behaviour that aims to achieve certain jointly agreed A social unit composed of members connected through blood,kinship, emotional or legal shares with society A nurse, as a health professional and a citizen.