Toward a theory of nursing ethics

ANS Adv Nurs Sci. 1989 Jul;11(4):9-22. doi: 10.1097/00012272-198907000-00005.

Abstract

The development of nursing ethics as a field of inquiry has largely paralleled developments within the field of biomedical ethics. However, there is growing evidence that the development of a theory of nursing ethics might not necessarily follow a similar pattern. The value foundations of nursing ethics are derived from the nature of the nurse-patient relationship instead of from models of patient good, rights-based notions of autonomy, or the social contract of professional practice as articulated in prominent theories of medical ethics. The value foundations of nursing are analyzed, and a moral-point-of-view theory with caring as a fundamental value is proposed for the development of a theory of nursing ethics.

MeSH terms

  • Empathy
  • Ethical Analysis
  • Ethics, Nursing*
  • Gender Identity
  • Humans
  • Moral Development
  • Morals
  • Nurse-Patient Relations
  • Nursing Care
  • Nursing Theory*
  • Philosophy, Nursing
  • Social Values