Is there a unique nursing ethic?

Full Abstract

There is no agreement in the nursing literature as to the meaning of the term, nursing ethics. Proposed definitions refer to nurses' moral decision-making and behaviors, ethical conflicts, and analysis of ethical issues that arise within nurses' practice. Presumably, a distinct nursing ethic should address unique theories, standards, and inquiry into what comprises nurses' ethical behavior and study of how nurses actually behave and reason about ethical issues. The purpose of this column is to synthesize the dialogue regarding the potential existence of a unique nursing ethic, and to propose that such an ethic has yet to emerge.

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Author information

Author/s: Volker, Deborah Lowe (DL);

Affiliation: University of Texas, Austin School of Nursing, Austin, Texas, USA.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Comment; Journal Article; Review

Journal: Nursing science quarterly (Nurs Sci Q), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2003-Jul; vol 16 (issue 3) : pp 207-11

Dates: Created 2003/07/24; Completed 2003/09/11; Revised 2005/11/16;

PMID: 12876876, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

Comments and Corrections

CommentOn: Nurs Sci Q. 2003 Jul;16(3):212-3. (PMID: 12876877)

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