ETHICAL CODED AND REGULATIONS FOR NURSES

AND HEALTH CARE RESEARCH

Khylamarie Villaluna

University of Cebu – Banilad

College of Nursing

NCM 111 – Nursing Research 1

Instructor: Mr. Rommel Andre M. Amit, MAN, RN

Sept. 23, 2022

 In the nursing field, nurses are confronted daily with complex and variety of ethical

challenges or concerns in their practice. With this, it is essential for the nurses to be equipped

with sufficient knowledge with regards to the Code of Ethics as it is a fundamental guidance for

nursing as many other professions in ethical decision making. The codes outline how the nurses

should behave ethically as a profession, and how they should decide when encounter barriers

preventing them from fulfilling their professional obligations. The codes can also support nurses

in their practice and reduce their moral distress. In Iran, studies have shown nurses’

weaknesses in the knowledge of ethics and its application in practice. In a qualitative study

carried out by Negarandeh et al, the nurses identified “lack of code of ethics” as a barrier to

patient advocacy in Iran. It is therefore vital for every nurse to be knowledgeable about the Code

of Ethics. Not only is this helpful in the actual field but also helpful in nursing research which I

will be discussing in a while.

The Code of Ethics of the two professional organizations guide the conduct of nursing

research in so many ways. One is that it protects the vulnerable group and other study

participants from the harmful effects of experimental interventions. Also, participants are

safeguarded from exploitation researchers. Moreover, ethics in nursing research establish risk-

benefit ratio for the study subjects and ensure the fullest respect, dignity, privacy, disclose of

information and fair treatment for study subjects. It also builds the capability of subjects to

accept or reject participation in study and to have access to informed or written consent for

participation in research. Nursing research is held to the same ethical standards as all other

research involving human participants. Nurses need to understand and apply ethical principles

to their own research and one of which is the principle of autonomy. Autonomy, as we all know,

is the nurse’s ability to think critically and take actions related to a patient's care. They do so by

themselves, based on their knowledge and training, without requiring approval from physicians

or other members of the healthcare team. This principle can be applied in the conduct of nursing
research by means of learning and discovering about new technologies to improve patient care.

Healthcare is an ever-changing industry. To be effective, nurses must stay alert to changes and

be proactive in learning about measures that will enhance the care they provide. Being willing to

learn and discover new technology or equipment used in patient care is one way to demonstrate

autonomy in nursing research. In addition, offering and presenting new ideas to help improve

the research is also one of the ways where autonomy is being applied. The next principle is

beneficence which is defined as kindness and charity that requires action on the part of the

nurse to benefit others. It is applied in the conduct of nursing through establishing the positive

risk benefit ratio where the risk of the research should never exceed expected benefits for

people from knowledge generated by the research activity. Potential risks of the research study

must also be carefully assessed and participants are protected from any harmful effect of

research activity. Furthermore, research must be conducted by a scientifically qualified expert to

avoid undue discomfort or distress to study participants. They must be provided with maximum

physical, psychological, social and religious comfort and undue disturbance and time utilization

of the subjects should be avoided. In addition, it can also be applied in the nursing research by

researching common diseases like diabetes or certain types of cancer as it is beneficial to the

greater population. And another one is utilizing the lowest possible dosage of medication during

a study that still produces the desired effect. On the other hand, the principle of non-maleficence

is the principle dictating that harm should not come to individuals as a result of their participation

in a research project. The research should not maim, injury, incapacitate or kill subjects. It has

two basic principles. The principles are not to cause harm either intentionally or through

omission. Firstly, research shouldn't be undertaken with the purpose of causing harm. For

example, the level of torture a human can withstand is not an ethical research topic. Secondly,

nothing can be removed or omitted during research that can cause harm, injury, or danger.

Withholding something from participants that supports life is unethical and not allowed.

Researchers would not be able to study the effects of dehydration by denying a participant
some water to the point of death, for instance. Participants may also not be taken off life-saving

drugs or have life-sustaining devices removed. If a participant with a pacemaker is selected for

a study, the researcher would not be allowed to ask the patient to remove the pacemaker

because they claim it interferes with the study. And lastly the principle of justice. This ethical

principle directs the research to abide by the participant’s right of fair treatment and

maintenance of privacy. For example, many individuals are willing to participate in research, and

to take on the considerable burden often associated with clinical research, but is it fair that they

also be exposed to economic harm by engaging in the research? Repeated visits to the

research site can have cost implications for research participants that might influence their

decision to participate in the research. This is why research ethics committees will often insist,

especially in industry sponsored research, that participants are reimbursed for any costs they

might incur.

In order for the ethical codes to be properly observed by novice nurse researchers, on a

policy or societal level, broad questions are asked. Examples of such queries may include

discussion about whether access to healthcare is a right or a privilege; how to protect research

participants from harm; the most fair method for resource distribution during an Ebola crisis; or

the inappropriateness of punitive measures against pregnant women who use drugs and

alcohol. Nurses are involved in these questions as clinicians, researchers, policy makers,

ethicists, and educators. Ethical principles for nursing research are in many ways the natural

extension of ethical principles for professional nursing practice. Whether planning research or

reading research, understanding and applying ethical principles is an important element of

ensuring the highest quality evidence for practice. Moreover, ethics within healthcare are

important because workers must recognize healthcare dilemmas, make good judgments and

decisions based on their values while keeping within the laws that govern them.
 References

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bookshelf. National Center for Biotechnology

Information. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459281/

Gelling, L. (2015, February 27). Justice - being fair to research participants - Clinfield.

Clinfield. https://clinfield.com/justice/

Greany, A., Sheehy, A., & Hefferman, C. (2012, January). Research ethics application: A Guide

for the novice researcher [PDF]. Mark Allen

Publishing. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/221743358_Research_ethics_appl

ication_A_guide_for_the_novice_researcher

Liddell, C., & Baron, A. (2021, December 28). Nonmaleficence & Beneficence in Research

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ethics.html. https://study.com/academy/lesson/beneficence-nonmaleficence-in-

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Sanjari, Z., & Dastgerdi, M. (n.d.). The code of ethics for nurses. PubMed Central

(PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3712593/