Icn Code of Ethics For Nurses 1

ICN CODE OF ETHICS
FOR NURSES
 What are the ICN codes of Ethics?
 The ICN Code of Ethics for Nurses is a
statement of the ethical values,
responsibilities and professional
standards of nurses. It guides
everyday ethical nursing practice and
can serve as a regulatory tool to guide
and define ethical nursing practice.
 Purpose of the ICN Code of Ethics for Nurses
 Since it was first adopted in 1953 the ICN Code of Nursing Ethics has
guided nursing practice across the globe.
 Since then it has been revised regularly in response to changes in
nurses’ roles and responsibilities, health care, and society as a whole.
 The Code is a statement of the professional values, responsibilities, and
accountabilities of nurses with the purpose of guiding ethical nursing
practice.
 It serves as a framework for resolving the ethical dilemmas faced by
nurses irrespective of their role or the setting in which they practice.
 Furthermore, the Code lays a foundation that can be
built on by the law, regulations, and professional
standards which govern nursing practice in a particular
country.
 Review for the new 2021 ICN Code of Ethics for
Nurses started in 2019. The work was done by an
Expert Steering Group, ICN Board members which
represent all ICN member countries, and ICN
Staff. Besides the English version, the document is also
available in Spanish, French, and German.
The revised edition is divided into four
sections representing the principal
elements for ethical conduct:
• nurses and patients or other people
requiring services
• nurses and practice
• nurses and the profession
• nurses and global health.
 ELEMENTS OF THE CODE
 1. NURSES AND PATIENTS OR PEOPLE REQUIRING CARE1
 1.1 Nurses’ primary professional responsibility is to people requiring nursing
care whether individuals, families, communities or populations (hereinafter
referred to as either ‘patients’ or ‘people requiring care’).
 1.2 Nurses promote an environment in which the human rights, values,
customs, religious and spiritual beliefs of the individual, family and
community are respected and promoted by everyone.
 1.3 Nurses ensure that the individual receives accurate, sufficient and timely
information in a culturally appropriate manner on which to base consent for
care and related treatment.
 1.4 Nurses hold in confidence personal information and respect the privacy,
confidentiality and interests of patients in the lawful collection, use, access,
transmission, storage and disclosure of this information.
 1.5 Nurses respect the privacy and confidentiality of colleagues and people
requiring care and uphold the integrity of the nursing profession in person and
in all media, including social media.
 1.5 Nurses respect the privacy and confidentiality of colleagues
and people requiring care and uphold the integrity of the
nursing profession in person and in all media, including social
media.
 1.6 Nurses share with society the responsibility for initiating and
supporting action to meet the health and social needs of all
people.
 1.7 Nurses advocate for equity and social justice in resource
allocation, access to health care and other social and economic
services.
 1.8 Nurses demonstrate professional values such as respect,
justice, responsiveness, compassion, empathy, trustworthiness
and integrity
 1.9 Nurses provide evidence-informed, person-
centered care, recognizing and using the values
and principles of primary health care and health
promotion.
 1.10 Nurses encourage a culture of safe health
care and raise any concerns regarding the
safety of people and health services.
 1.11 Nurses support and protect the right to
self-determination of all patients and other
health care professionals.
 1.12 Nurses ensure that use of technology and scientific advances are
compatible with the safety, dignity and rights of people.
 In the case of devices, such as robots, nurses ensure that care remains
person-centered and that such devices support and do not replace human
relationships.
 2. NURSES AND PRACTICE

 2.1. Nurses carry personal responsibility and accountability for nursing
practice, and for maintaining competence by continual learning. They engage
in continuous professional development and lifelong learning.
 2.2 Nurses maintain fitness to practice so as not to compromise the ability to
provide care.
 2.3 Nurses practice within the limits of their individual competence and use
judgement when accepting and delegating responsibility.
 2.4 Nurses value their own dignity, well-being and health.
They know that positive practice environments,
characterized by professional recognition, education,
support structures, adequate resourcing, management
practices and occupational health and safety, are pivotal to
achieve them.
 2.5 Nurses, at all times maintain standards of personal
conduct which reflect well on the profession and enhance
its image and public confidence. In their professional role,
nurses recognize and maintain personal relationship
boundaries
 2.5 Nurses, at all times maintain standards of personal
conduct which reflect well on the profession and
enhance its image and public confidence.
 In their professional role, nurses recognize and
maintain personal relationship boundaries.
 2.6 Nurses share their knowledge and provide feedback,
mentorship and guidance for the professional
development of nursing students, novice nurses, other
nurses and other health care providers.
 2.7 Nurses foster and maintain a practice culture that
promotes ethical behavior and open dialogue.
 2.8 Nurses may conscientiously object to participating in a
particular medical procedure or research study but must ensure that
people receive care.
 2.9 Nurses maintain a person’s right to give and withdraw informed
consent to access their genetic information, including activities
linked to genetic and genomic-based research. They protect the
use, privacy and confidentiality of genetic information and human
genome materials. They also foster the equitable access to genomic
technologies.
 2.10 Nurses develop and sustain collaborative and respectful
relationships with colleagues and other members of the health care
team. They recognize and respect their knowledge, skills and
perspectives.
 2.11 Nurses take appropriate actions to safeguard
individuals, families and communities when their
health is endangered by a co-worker, any other
person, policy, practice or misuse of technology.
 2.12 Nurses are active participants in the
promotion of patient safety.
 They promote ethical conduct when errors or
near misses occur, speak up when patient safety
is threatened, and work with others to reduce
the potential of errors.
 3. NURSES AND THE PROFESSION
 3.1 Nurses assume the major role in determining and
implementing acceptable standards of clinical nursing
practice, management, research and education.
 3.2 Nurses are active in developing a core of
research-based, updated professional knowledge that
supports evidence-informed practice.
 3.3 Nurses are active in developing and sustaining a
core of professional values
 3.4Nurses, through their professional organizations,
participate in creating a positive practice environment
that supports individual practice and ensures safe
quality care, and maintains safe, equitable social and
economic working conditions for nurses.
 3.5Nurses contribute to positive and ethical
organizational environments and challenge unethical
practices and settings.
 3.6Nurses engage in the creation, dissemination and
use of research.
 3.7 Nurses prepare for and respond to emergencies,
disasters, conflicts, epidemics and conditions of scarce
resources
 4. NURSES AND GLOBAL HEALTH
 4.1 Nurses value access to health care as a human right,
affirming the need for universal health coverage.
 4.2 Nurses uphold the dignity, freedom and worth of all
human beings and oppose all forms of exploitation, such
as human trafficking and child labor.
 4.3 Nurses lead or contribute to health policy
development.
 4.4 Nurses support and work towards the achievement
of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
 4.5 Nurses recognize the significance of the social
determinants of health. They contribute to, and
advocate for, policies and programs that address them.
 4.6 Nurses collaborate and practice to preserve,
sustain and protect the natural environment and are
aware of its consequences on health. They advocate
for initiatives that reduce environmentally harmful
practices in order to promote health and well-being.
 4.7 Nurses collaborate with other health professions
and the public to uphold principles of justice by
promoting responsibility in human rights, equity and
fairness and by promoting the public good and a
healthy planet.
 SUGGESTIONS FOR USE of the ICN Code of Ethics for
Nurses.
 The ICN Code of Ethics for Nurses is a guide for action
based on social values and needs.
 It will have meaning only as a living document if
applied to the realities of nursing and health care in
all settings in which nursing care is delivered.
Prepared by –
Bernardita E. Brillon
RN, RM, MAN, Ph.D.
AY 2022 2023 First Semester
BSN 4

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ICN CODE OF ETHICS

 2. NURSES AND PRACTICE

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