The Concept of Ethics in Nursing - Research Paper Example

The importance of the issue is increasing with globalization, multiculturalism and other socio-political developments, and advances in medical knowledge and technology. These all raise more and more moral dilemmas. Nursing, therefore, is tied very intimately with ethics. This necessitates also, a good understanding of ethics and for this, the concept must be clear.As we shall see, the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the International Council of Nurses (ICN) have devised nursing codes of ethics.

These are necessary not only for nursing practice, but also in nursing research, nursing leadership/administration and management, and nursing education. There are also journals specifically dealing with the issue of ethics in nursing. An example is ‘Nursing Ethics’ edited by Verena Tschudin at the International Centre for Nursing Ethics, University of Surrey,The Chambers English Dictionary (1992) defines ethics as “the science of morals, that branch of philosophy which is concerned with human character and conduct [or simply as,] a system of morals, rules of behavior [or] a treatise on morals.

” The Illustrated Oxford Dictionary (1998) defines it as “The science of morals in human conduct”. Similarly, in the Wordsworth Dictionary of English, it is “the study or the science of morals.” The Merriam Webster’s 11th Collegiate Dictionary (2003) defines it as “the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation,“ and alternatively as “a set of moral principles” or “a theory or system of moral values.

” The term ‘professional ethics’ is described as “the principles of conduct governing an individual or group.” These dictionary definitions show that the concept of ethics has its roots in philosophy, and is associated with morals pertaining to human behavior. Morals can be either good or bad in relation to a set of values and can be broken down into duties and obligations.