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Ethics

The ICN Code and ANA Code of Nursing Ethics Essay

December 24, 2020 by Essay Writer

In the field of medicine, nursing is exceptionally essential. This is attributed to the fact that nurses are regarded as primary caregivers when it comes to the treatment and care of patients. In addition to that, nurses play an important role when it comes to their role as cultural brokers.

According to American Nurses Association (2013), nurses should be guided by the nursing code of ethics, which stipulates the importance of nurses taking into account the patient’s cultural beliefs among other factors while caring for them. There are several nursing interventions that can be applicable in many situations.

In Razor’s case, the most important nursing intervention that can be applied in this situation is a support-based intervention. This intervention should be aimed at enhancing the emotional stability of the patient and enabling them to cope with all the psychological issues that they may be facing.

The ICN Code and ANA Code of ethics are very important aspects when it comes to the field of nursing. These codes have been around for quite some time now, and their most important function is to provide clear guidelines to nurses concerning their conduct while carrying out various aspects of their duties.

This includes their interaction with the patient. The code applies to all nurses worldwide, and its contents have been revised several times to reflect the current trends concerning the field of nursing. According to the International Council for Nurses (2013), the most important principle of the code is respect for human rights. Such respect encompasses the right to life, right to dignity, and right to proper treatment that factors in respect for the patient.

Over the years, this repeated application of these codes in the day to day conduct of nurses has impacted on the values of nurses. In line with these codes, nurses are expected to treat the patient with respect and dignity (International Council for Nurses, 2013). This, therefore, requires nurses to abide by all the provisions of the code and other requirements that are directly aimed at enhancing the treatment of the patient.

In addition to that, nurses are required to factor in the input of the patient while caring and treating the patient. Specifically, a nurse may be required to obtain patient consent before performing any procedure that may require them to consent.

In addition to that, nurses are expected to furnish the patient with all the relevant information regarding their condition and ensure that the patient clearly understands this information so that they may consider them in any decision that they take. Finally, nurses are also expected to respect the patients and abide by their decisions provided that the patients have the mental and physical capacity to make such decisions.

All in all, the ICN and ANA codes of ethics are an important set of provisions that have helped enhance the overall practice of nursing. This benefits both the patients and nurses. The patients are in a position to receive much better care from the nurses as a result of these codes while on the other hand, the nurse is in a position to improve their practice through standardization of the quality of care to improve the care and treatment of patients across the board.

References

American Nurses Association. (2013). Nursing World. Retrieved From http://www.nursingworld.org/

International Council For Nurses. (2013). Code of Ethics for nurses. Retrieved From http://www.icn.ch/about-icn/code-of-ethics-for-nurses/

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