Which ethical principle guides nurses in making tough decisions regarding patient care?

The choice of clinical ethics is significant in guiding nurses through complex decision-making scenarios regarding patient care. Clinical ethics provides a framework for addressing the moral dilemmas that often arise in healthcare, encompassing concepts such as patient autonomy, informed consent, and the rights of patients. This framework helps nurses evaluate the implications of their decisions on patients, families, and healthcare teams, ensuring that the care provided aligns with ethical standards and best practices.

In the context of nursing, clinical ethics facilitates discussions about the values and principles that should influence patient care decisions. By relying on this framework, nurses can navigate the challenging situations they encounter, such as end-of-life decisions, resource allocation, or conflicts between patient wishes and medical advice.

While concepts like beneficence (the duty to promote good) and nonmaleficence (the duty to avoid harm) are vital ethical principles within the nursing profession, they operate within the broader scope of clinical ethics. Justice, which involves fairness and equity in care, is also an important ethical consideration but doesn’t specifically provide the comprehensive decision-making support that clinical ethics offers in practice.