ETHICS & PATIENT RIGHTS

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Ethics are principles that describe what is Client rights are based on the universal
expected in terms of right or correct and declaration of human rights and need to be
wrong or incorrect in terms of behavior. advocated for and upheld by nurses.

Ethical principles Client rights

• Justice: fairness in distributing care • Privacy
• Beneficence: doing good and the right thing • Confidentiality
• Nonmaleficence: doing no harm • Respect and dignity
• Autonomy and client self-determination: accept • Select their doctors
client as unique person
• Transparency of condition and treatments
• Accountability: accept responsibility for own actions
• Autonomous decisions about care incl. reject
• Fidelity: keeping one’s professional promises treatment
• Veracity: truthfulness • Freedom from abuse and neglect
• Access to emergency services
• Manage and control finances and property
ANA NURSING CODE OF ETHICS • Competent and compassionate care
• Establishes ethical stan- • Religious freedom
dard for the profession
• Social freedom
• Provides guide to use in
• Accurate billing
ethical decision-making
• Express complaints and be heard

HIPAA
Situations that can cause
ethical dilemmas Health Insurance Portability
and Accountability Act
• Staffing ratios and limited resources  upholds clients’ rights to
confidentiality and privacy of
• End-of-life issues their medical information
• Informed consent issues
• Medical errors
• Waiting lists
• Bioethical issues

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