One of the ethical principles is the respect for the autonomy of the patient. It means that patients should act as free agents where they should have the freedom to determine their personal affairs as long as their decisions do not impact negatively on others. Nurses must ensure there is informed consent i.e. the patient should be provided with basic information to facilitate independent decision-making. It implies that patients should be allowed to express their ideas freely without any form of coercion or duress (Ingham-Broomfield, 2017).
The second principle is nonmaleficence i.e. the nursing professional should engage in activities that do not harm others. The nurse is required to deploy the necessary interventions to minimize pain and maximize the health outcomes of the patient. It means the interventions that are not harmful should be given precedence and they should be conducted in ways that minimize pain and suffering to the patient.
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The third principle is beneficence and requires the actions of nursing professionals to be aimed at benefiting others. The nurse must, therefore act with compassion, charity and kindness towards patients by being sensitive to their needs that results in trust (Fowler & Davis, 2013).
The fourth principle is justice. It requires the nursing professional to act impartially, equitably and fairly towards patients. Patients must be treated equally and indiscriminately and such equality, fairness and impartiality must be applied in other areas of nursing such as the allocation of resources to patients (Mikesell, Bromley, Khodyakov, 2013).
The last principle is fidelity and the nursing professionals are expected to act truthfully and remain loyal and respectful to their patients and others. Such behaviour accords the patients and other individuals the opportunity to express their free choice in the relationship. The ability to keep their promises also enhances the levels of trust that patients have in the nurses and they feel free to express their ideas towards the nurses and share other secret and vital information.
References
Fowler, M. & Davis, A. (2013). Ethical Issues occurring within Nursing Education. Nursing Ethics , 20(2): 126-141.
Ingham-Broomfield, R. (2017). A Nurses' Guide to Ethical Considerations and the Process for Ethical Approval of Nursing Research. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing , 35(1): 40-47.
Mikesell, L., Bromley, E., Khodyakov, D. (2013). Ethical Community-Engaged Research: A Literature Review. American Journal of Public Health , 103(12): e7-e14.
