GLOSSARY

Accountability. The state of being answerable to someone for something one has done.
Active voluntary euthanasia. An act in which the physician both provides the means of death for a
patient, such as lethal dose of medication, and administers it.
Activism. A passionate approach to everyday activities that is committed to seeking a more just social
order through critical analysis, provocation, transformation, and rebalancing of power.
Act-utilitarianism. A basic type of utilitarianism that suggests people choose actions that will, in any
given circumstances, increase the overall good.
Administrative law. The branch of law that consists mainly of the legal powers granted to administrative
agencies by the legislature, and the rules that the agencies make to carry out their powers.
Advance directives. Instructions that indicate which health care interventions to initiate or withhold, or
which designate someone who will acts as a surrogate in making such decisions, in the event that the
person loses decision making capacity.
Allocative policies. Policies designed to provide net benefits to some distinct group or class of
individuals or organizations, at the expense of others, in order to ensure that public objectives are met.
Anonymity. A situation in which even the researcher cannot link information with a particular
participant in a study.
Appeals to conscience. Personal and subjective beliefs, founded on a prior judgment of rightness or
wrongness, that are motivated by personal sanction, rather than external authority.
Assault. The unjustifiable attempt or threat to touch a persona without consent that results in fear of
immediately harmful or threatening contact.
Assisted suicide. A situation in which patients receive the means of death from someone, such as a
physician, but activate the process themselves.
Authority. The state of having legitimate power and sovereignty.
Autonomy. An ethical principle that literally means self-governing. It denotes having the freedom to
make independent choices.
Axiology. The branch of philosophy that studies the nature and types of values.
Battery. The unlawful touching of another or the carrying out of threatened physical harm including
every willful, angry, and violent or negligent touching of anothers person, clothes, or anything attached
to his or her person or held by him or her.
Belmont Report. Policies developed by the United States National Commission for the Protection of
Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research (1978) regarding ethical principles for research
with human subjects.
Beneficence. The ethical principle that requires one to act in ways that benefit another. In research, this
implies the protection from harm and discomfort, including a balance between the benefits and risks of
a study.
Cartesian philosophy. A widespread belief during the Renaissance related to Descartess proposal that
the universe is a physical thing, and all therein is analogous to machines that can be analyzed and
understood, and that the mind and body are separate entities.
Categorical imperative. The Kantian maxim stating that no action can be judges as right which cannot
reasonably become a law by which every person should always abide.
Character ethics. Theories of ethics, sometimes called virtue ethics, that are related to the concept of
innate moral virtue.
Cheating. Dishonesty and deception regarding examinations, projects, or papers.
Civil law. The law that determines a persons legal rights and obligations in many kinds of activities
involving other people.

Code of nursing ethics. Explicit declaration of the primary goals and values of the profession that
indicate the professions acceptance of the responsibility and trust with which it has been invested by
society.
Coercion. Actual or implied threat of harm or penalty for not participating in a research project, or
offering excessive rewards for participation in the project.
Common law. A system of law, also known as case law, based largely in previous court decisions. In this
system, decisions are based upon earlier court rulings in similar cases, or precedents. Over time, these
precedents take on the force of law.
Communitarian theories. Theories of justice that place the community, rather than the individual, the
state, the nation, or any other entity, at the center of the value system; that emphasize the value of
public goods and that conceive of values as rooted in communal practices.
Compassion. A focal virtue combining an attitude of active regard for anothers welfare with an
imaginative awareness and emotional response of deep sympathy, tenderness, and discomfort at the
other persons misfortune or suffering.
Competence. A persons ability to make meaningful life decisions. A declaration of incompetence
involves legal action with a ruling by a judge that the person is unable to make such life decision.
Complementary therapies. Therapeutic interventions that derive from traditions other than convention
Western medicine which are used by patients with or without the knowledge of conventional medical
practitioners.
Confidentiality. The ethical principle that requires nondisclosure of private or secret information with
which one is entrusted. In research, confidentiality refers to the researchers assurance to participants
that information provide will not be made public or available to anyone other than involved in the
research process without the participants consent.
Consequentialism. A theory of ethics, sometimes called utilitarianism.
Constitutional Law. A formal set of rules and principles that describe the powers of a government and
the rights of the people
Contract. An agreement between two or more people that can be enforced by law.
Cosmology. A branch of philosophy that describes the structure, origin and processes of the universe.
Covert values. Expectations that are not in writing that are often identifies only through participation in,
or controversies within, an organization or institution.
Criminal law. A type of law that deals with crimes, or actions considered harmful to society.
Cultural awareness. Knowledge about values, beliefs, behavior, and the like of cultures other than ones
own.
Cultural competence. Skill in dealing with transcultural issues, which is demonstrated through cultural
awareness and cultural sensitivity.
Cultural sensitivity. The ability to incorporate a patients cultural perspective into nursing assessments,
and to modify nursing care in order to be as congruent as possible with the patients cultural
perspective.
Culture. The total lifeways of a group of interacting individuals, consisting of learned patterns of values,
beliefs, behaviors, and customs shared by that group.
Decision making capacity. The ability of a person to understand all information about a health
condition, to communicate understanding and choices, and to reason and deliberate; and, the
possession of personal values and goals that guide the decision.
Declaration of Helsinki. Principles issued by the World Medical Assembly to guide clinical research in
1964; revised in 1975.
Defamation. Harm that occurs to a persons reputation and good name, diminishes others value or
esteem, or arouses negative feelings toward the person by the communication of false, malicious,
unprivileged, or harmful words.

Deontology. Related to the term duty, deontology is a group of ethical theories based upon the
rationalist view that the rightness and wrongness of an act depends upon the nature of the act, rather
than the consequences that occurs as a results of it.
Discernment. A focal virtue of sensitive insight, acute judgment, and understanding that eventuates in a
decisive action.
Disease. The biomedical explanation of sickness.
Distributive justice. Application of the ethical principle of justice that relates to fair, equitable, and
appropriate distribution in society, determined by justifies norms that structure the terms of social
cooperation. Its scope includes policies that allot diverse benefits and burdens such as property,
resources, taxation, privileges, and opportunities.
Diversity. The experience within nursing of differences among colleagues and patients in areas such as
gender, age, socioeconomic position, sexual orientation, health status, ethnicity, race, or culture.
Do not resuscitate (DNR) order. Written directives placed in a patients medical chart indicating that
cardiopulmonary resuscitation is to be avoided.
Durable power of attorney. Allows a competent person to designate another as a surrogate or proxy to
act on her or his behalf in making health care decision in the event of the loss of decision making
capacity.
Egalitarian theories. Theories of justice that promote ideals of equal distribution of social benefits and
burdens, and recognize the social obligation to eliminate or reduce barriers that prevent fair equality of
opportunity.
Empirical. Knowledge gained through the processes of observation and experience.
Empowerment. A helping process and partnership, enacted in the context of love and respect for self
and others, through which individuals and groups are enabled to change situation, and are given skills,
resources, opportunities, and authority to do so. It involves creating a vision, taking risks, making
choices, and behaving in authentic ways.
Ethical dilemma. Occurs when there are conflicting moral claims.
Ethical principles. Basic and obvious moral truths that guide deliberation and action. Major ethical
principles include autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, veracity, confidentiality, justice, fidelity, and
others.
Ethical treatment of data. Implies integrity of research protocols and honesty in reporting findings.
Ethic of caring. An approach to ethical decision making grounded in relationship and mutual
responsibility, in which choices are contextually bound and strategies are focused on maintaining
connections and not hurting anyone.
Ethic of justice. An approach to ethical decision making, based on objective rules and principles in which
choices are made from a stance of separateness.
Ethics. A formal process for making logical and consistent decision based upon moral beliefs.
Ethnocentrism. Judging behaviors of someone from another culture by the standard of ones own
culture.
Eugenics. Meaning good birth, eugenics is based in the belief that some human traits are more
desirable for society than others, and that society sound weed out what proponents consider to be
undesirable traits. Proponents of eugenics advocate policies that encourage so called genetically
superior people to have children, while discouraging so call genetically inferior people from having
children, through practices such as forced sterilization.
Euthanasia. Causing the painless death of a person in order to end or prevent suffering.
Expertise. The characteristic of having a high level of specialized skill and knowledge.
External locus of control. The belief that forces outside of oneself direct or rule ones life, whether these
be generalized forces such as fate or other person who are perceived as more powerful.

External standards of nursing practice. Guides for nursing care that are developed by non-nurses,
legislation or institutions.
Faith. A genetic feature of the human struggle to find and maintain meaning flowing from an integration
of ways of knowing and valuing.
False imprisonment. The unlawful, unjustifiable detention of a person within fixed boundaries, or an act
intended to result in such confinement.
Felonies. Serious crimes that carry significant fines and jail sentences. Examples of felonies include firsand second0degree murder, arson, burglary, extortion, kidnapping, rape, and robbery.
Fidelity. An ethical principle related to the concept of faithfulness and the practice of promise-keeping.
Forgery. Includes fraud or intentional misrepresentation.
Formalism. A term often used to refer to deontology.
Fraud. A deliberate deception for the purpose of securing an unfair or unlawful gain.
Full disclosure. Indicates that a research participant must be fully informed of the nature of a study,
anticipated risks and benefits, time commitment, expectations of the participant and the researcher,
and the right to refuse to participate.
Genetic diagnosis. A process of biopsy of embryos to determine the presence of genetic flaws and
gender prior to implantation.
Genetic engineering. The ability to genetically alter organisms for a variety of purposes, particularly to
promote their health and strength.
Genetic screening. A process for determining whether person are predisposed to certain disease, and
whether couples have the possibility of giving birth to a genetically-impaired infant.
Grassroots lobbying. Lobbying efforts that involves mobilizing a committed constituency to influence
the opinions of policy makes.
Guardian ad litem. A course appointed guardian for a particular action or proceeding; such a guardian
may not oversee all of the persons affairs.
Health policies. Authoritative decisions focusing on health that are made in the legislative, executive, or
judicial branches of government and are intended to direct of influence the actions, behaviors, or
decisions of others; their lifestyle and personal behaviors; and improvements on the availability,
accessibility, and quality of their health care services.
Illness. A personal response to disease flowing from how ones culture teaches one to be sick.
Informed consent. A process by which patients are informed of the possible outcomes, alternatives, and
risks of treatments and required to give their consent freely. This implies legal protection of a patients
right to personal autonomy by providing the opportunity to choose a course of action regarding plans
for health care, including the right to refuse medical recommendations and to choose from available
therapeutic alternative. In research, this referees to consent to participate in a research study after the
research purpose, expected commitment, risks and benefits, any invasion of privacy, and ways that
anonymity and confidentiality will be addressed have been explained.
Integrity. Refers to adherence to moral norms that is sustained over time. Implicit in integrity is
trustworthiness and a consistency of convictions, actions, and emotions.
Intentional torts. Willful or intentional acts that violate another persons right or property.
Internal locus of control. The belief that one is able to influence or control things that happen in ones
life.
Internal standards of nursing practice. Standards of nursing practice that are developed within the
profession of nursing.
Invasion of privacy. Includes intrusion on the patients physical and mental solitude or seclusion, public
disclosure of private facts, publicity that place the patient in a false light in the public eye, or
appropriation for the defendants benefit or advantage of the patients name of likeness.

Journals. Personal written records kept on a periodic or regular basis containing factual material and
subjective interpretations of events, thoughts, feelings, and plans.
Judicial decisions. Authoritative court decision that direct or influence the actions, behaviors, or
decisions of others.
Justice. An ethical principle that relates to fair, equitable, and appropriate treatment in light of what is
due or owes to person, recognizing that giving to some will deny receipt to others who might otherwise
have received these things. In research, justice implies the rights of fair treatment and privacy, including
anonymity and confidentiality.
Kantianism. A deontological theory of ethics based upon the writings of the philosopher Immanuel Kant.
Law. The system of enforceable principles and processes that governs the behavior of people in respect
to relationships with others and with the government.
Libel. Printed defamation by written words and images that injure a persons reputation or cause others
to avoid, ridicule, or view the person with contempt.
Libertarian theories. Theories of distributive justice that propose that the just society protects the rights
of property and liberty of each person, allowing citizens to improved their circumstances by their own
effort.
Living wills. Legal documents developed voluntarily by person, giving directions to health care provides
related to withholding or withdrawing life support if certain conditions exist.
Lobbying. The art of persuasion-attempting to convince a legislator, a government official, the head of
an agency, or a state official to comply with a request, whether it is convincing them to support a
position on an issue or to follow a particular course of action.
Locus of control. Beliefs about the ability to control events in ones life.
Loyalty. Showing sympathy, care, and reciprocity to those with whom we appropriately identify;
working closely with others toward shared goals; keeping promises; making mutual concerns a priority;
sacrificing personal interests to the relationship; and giving attention to these over a substantial period
of time.
Malpractice. The form of negligence in which any professional misconduct, unreasonable lack of
professional skill, or nonadherence to the accepted standard of care causes injury to a patient or client.
Managed care. An integrated form of health care delivery and financing that represents attempts to
control costs by modifying the behavior of providers and patients.
Material rules. Rules by which distributive justice decisions regarding entitlement are made.
Medical futility. Situations in which medical interventions are judged to have no medical benefit, or in
which the chance for success is low.
Misdemeanor. A criminal offense of a less serious nature than a felony, usually punishable by a fine or
short jail sentence, or both.
Moral development. A product of the sociocultural environment in which one lives and develops that
reflects the intellectual and emotional process through which one learns and incorporates values
regarding right and wrong.
Moral distress. The reaction to a situation in which there are moral problems that seem to have clear
solutions, yet one is unable to follow ones moral belief because of external restraints. This may be
evidence in anger, frustration, dissatisfaction, and poor performance in the work setting.
Moral integrity. A focal virtue that relates to soundness, reliability, wholeness, an integration of
character, and fidelity in adherence to moral norms sustained over time.
Moral outrage. A state which occurs when someone else in the health care setting performs an act the
nurse believes to be immoral. In cases of moral outrage, the nurse does not participate in the act and
therefore does not feel responsible for wrong, but feels powerlessness to prevent it.
Moral philosophy. The philosophical discussion of what is considered to be good or bad, right or wrong.
Moral thought. Individuals cognitive examination of right and wrong, good or bad.

Moral uncertainty. A state which occurs when one senses that there is a moral problem, but is not sure
of the morally correct action; when one is unsure what the moral principles or values apply; or when
one is unable to define the moral problem.
Moral values. Preferences or disposition reflective of right or wrong, should or should not, in human
behavior.
Naturalism. A view of moral judgment that regards ethics as dependent upon human nature and
psychology.
Negligence. The omission to do something that a reasonable person, guided by those ordinary
considerations that ordinarily regulate human affairs, would do, or doing something that a reasonable
and prudent person would not do.
Noncompliance. Denoting an unwillingness on the part of the patient to participant in health care
activities that have been recommend by health care providers.
Nonmaleficence. An ethical principle related to beneficence that requires one to act in such a manner as
to avoid causing hard to another, including deliberate harm, risk of harm, and harm that occurs during
the performance of beneficial acts.
Nuremberg Code. A set of principles for the ethical conduct of research against which the experiments
in the Nazi concentration camps could be judged.
Nurse practice acts. Legislative statues within each state that define nursing, describe boundaries of
practice, establish standards for nurses, and protect the domain of nursing.
Nursing process. A model commonly used for decision making in nursing.
Nursism. A form of sexism that maligns the caring role in society and leads to discrimination in nursing
by virtue of the role undertaken, regardless of gender.
Obligation. Being required to do something by virtue of a moral rule, a duty, or some other binding
demand, such as a particular role or relationship.
Overt values. Values of individuals, groups, institutions, and organized systems that are explicitly
communicated through philosophy and policy statements.
Palliative care. A comprehensive, interdisciplinary, and total care approach, focusing primarily on
comfort and support of patients and families who face illness that is chronic or not responsive to
curative treatment.
Parentalism. A nongender term that parallels the meaning of paternalism, while avoiding gender bias.
Partisan. Adherence to the ideology of a particular political party.
Paternalism. A gender-biased term that literally means acting in a fatherly manner, the traditional
view of which implies well-intended actions of benevolent decision making, leadership, protection, and
discipline, which, in the health care arena, manifest in the making of decisions on behalf of patients
without their full consent or knowledge.
Patient Self-Determination Act. A federal law requiring institutions such as hospitals, nursing homes,
health maintenance organizations, and home are agencies receiving Medicare or Medicaid funds to
provide written information to adult patients regarding their rights to make health care decisions.
Philosophy. The intense and critical examination of beliefs and assumptions.
Plagiarism. Taking anothers ideas or work and presenting them as ones own.
Plaintiff. The term used for the complaining or injured party in a lawsuit.
Policy formulation. A phase of the policy-making process that includes such actions as agenda setting
and the subsequent development of legislation.
Policy implementation. A phase of the policy-making process that follows enactment of legislation and
include taking actions and making additional decisions necessary to implement legislations such as rule
making and policy operation.
Political. Relates to the complex process of policy making within the government.

Political issues. Those issues that are regulated or influenced by decisions within either the executive,
judicial, or legislative branches of government.
Political parties. Organized groups with distinct ideology that seek to control government.
Power. The ability to do or act; the capability of doing or accomplishing something.
Practical dilemma. A situation in which moral claims compete with nonmoral claims.
Practical imperative. The Kantian maxim requiring that one treat others always as ends and never as a
means.
Precedents. Court ruling upon which subsequent rulings in similar cases are based. Over time these
precedents take on the force of law.
Principles. Basic and obvious truths that guide deliberation and action.
Private law (Also called civil law). The law that determines a persons legal rights and obligations in
many kinds of activities involving other people.
Profession. A complex, organized occupation preceded by a long training program geared toward the
acquisition of exclusive knowledge necessary to provide a service that is essential or desired by society,
leading to a monopoly that provides autonomy, public recognition, prestige, power and authority for the
practitioner.
Public law. Law that defines a persons rights and obligations in relation to government, and describes
the various divisions of government and their power.
Quality of life. A subjective appraisal of factors that make life work living and contribute to a positive
experience of living.
Racism. The assumption that members of one race are superior to those of another.
Rationalism. A view of moral judgment that regards truth as necessary, universal, and superior to the
information received from the senses, having an origin in the nature of the universe or in the nature of a
high being.
Regulatory policies. Policies that are designed to influence the actions, behaviors, and decisions of
others through directive techniques.
Religion. The codification of beliefs and practices concerning the Divine and ones relationship with the
Divine that are shared by a group of people.
Religiosity. Beliefs and practices that are the expressive aspects of religion.
Respect for human dignity. Implies the rights of patients to full disclosure and self-determination
regarding participation in research and in making health care choice.
Respect for persons. An attitude by which one considers to be worthy of high regard.
Right to fair treatment. Assures equitable treatment of participants in the research selection process,
during the study, and after the completion the study.
Right to privacy. The right to be left alone or to be free from unwanted publicity. In research, this is the
right of research participants to determine when, where, and what kind of information is shared, with
an
assurance that information and observation are treated with respect and kept in strict confidence.
Rules or regulations. Policies that are established to guide the implementation of laws and programs.
Rule-utilitarianism. A type of utilitarianism that suggests people choose rules that when followed
consistently, will maximize the overall good.
Self-awareness. Conscious awareness of ones though, feelings, physical, and emotional responses, and
insights in various situations.
Sexism. The assumption that members of one sex are superior to those of the other.
Sexual harassment. All unwelcome sexual advances, request for sexual favors, and other conduct of a
sexual nature.
Slander. Defamation that occurs when one speaks unprivileged or false words about another.

Spectrum of urgency. A spectrum depicting the degree of urgency in health care decision making,
ranging from minor and nonurgent to sever and very urgent.
Spirituality. The animating force, life principle, or essence of being that permeates life and is expressed
and experienced in multifaceted connections with self, others, nature, and God or Life Force.
Standards of nursing practice. Written documents outlining minimum expectations for nursing care.
Statues or laws. Legislation that has been enacted by legislative bodies and approved by the executive
branch of government.
Statutory (legislative) law. Formal laws written and enacted by federal, state, or local legislatures.
Stereotyping. Expecting all persons from a particular group to behave, think, or respond in a certain way
based on preconceived ideas.
Sympathy. Sharing, in imagination, of others feelings.
Theory. A proposed explanation for a class of phenomena.
Tort. A wrong or injury that a person suffers because of someone elses action, either intentional or
unintentional. The action may cause bodily harm; damage a persons property, business, or reputation
or make unauthorized use of persons property.
Trustworthiness. A focal virtue that results in recognition by other of ones consistency and
predictability in following moral norms.
Unintentional torts. Torts occurs when an act or omission causes unintended injuring or harm to
another person.
Utilitarianism. A moral theory which holds that an action is judged as good or bad in relation to the
consequence, outcome, or end result derived from it.
Utilitarian theories. Theories of distributive justice that distribute resources based on the premise of the
greatest good for the greatest number of people. These theories place social good before individual
rights.
Utility. The property of usefulness in any object, whereby it tends to produce benefit, advantage,
pleasure, good or happiness or prevent mischief, pain, evil, or unhappiness.
Values. Ideals, beliefs, customs, modes of conduct qualities, or goals that are high prized or preferred by
individuals, groups, or society.
Values clarification. Refers to the process of becoming more conscious of and naming what one values
or considers worthy.
Values conflict. Internal or interpersonal conflict that occurs in circumstances in which personal values
are at odds with those of patients, colleagues, or the institution.
Veracity. Truth-telling.
Victim blaming. Holding the people burdened by social conditions accountable for their own situation
and responsible for needed solutions.
Virtue ethics. Theories of ethics, usually attributed to Aristotle, which represent the idea that an
individuals action are based upon innate moral virtue.
Whistle blowing. Speaking out about unsafe or questionable practice affecting patient care or working
conditions. This should be resorted to only after a person has unsuccessfully used all appropriate
organizational channels to right a wrong, and has a sound moral justification for taking this action.
Whistleblowers. Person who alert the public about serious wrongdoing created or concealed within an
organization, such as unsafe conditions, incompetence, or professional misconduct.