ETHICAL

PRINCIPLES
AUTONOMY

►Is having the freedom to make choices about issues that affect
one’s life.
►It is the right to choose what will happen to one’s own person.
►It is also the right to determine personal care given and by whom
Nurses should promote client’s independence in decisions and take
action themselves.
 BENEFICENCE

► Is a principle that requires nurses to act in ways that benefit clients.

► It has three components:
a. One ought to do or promote good
b. One must prevent evil or harm in all instances and always advocate for what
is in the client’s best interest.
c. The nurse must not only prevent, but also must remove evil or harm.
The Good Samaritan Law- provides protection to health care providers by ensuring
immunity from civil liability when assistance is provided at the scene of an emergency and
the caregiver does not intentionally or deliberately inflict injury. Nurses have the
responsibility to help others by doing what is best for them
Nonmaleficence

► Requires nurses to act in such a way as to avoid causing harm on to

clients.
► Seeks to do no harm in situations requiring nursing actions.
► Addresses the need to avoid harm regardless of reasons for negative actions.
► Nurses should act with empathy without bad faith or ill-will nor make false
accusations.
 Veracity

►The practice of telling the truth.

►It is universally accepted virtue, in fact, most of us were taught as
children to always tell the truth.
►Engenders respect, open communication, trust and shared
responsibility.
►Nurses should communicate truthfully and accurately
Confidentiality

► States that it is the nurse’s responsibility to safeguard “the client’s right to

privacy by judiciously protecting information of a confidential nature.”
► Nurses should safeguard client’s privacy.

Hippocratic Oath: “What I may see or hear in the course of treatment or even
outside of treatment in regard to the life of men, which on no account must be
noised abroad, I will keep to myself holding such things shameful to be spoken
about.”
Justice

► Is fair, equitable and appropriate treatment according to what is due or

owed to persons, with the understanding that giving to some will deny receipt
to others who might otherwise have received those things.
► Nurses should make use of available resources fairly and reasonably.
Fidelity

►Often related to the concept of faithfulness and the practice of

keeping promises
►Nurses should attend to the details of what they say they do.
Epikeia

►The principle that a law can be broken

to achieve a better good.