ABSTRACT
After reading this chapter you should be able to:
describe major ethical theories and how we may relate them to nursing decision making;
define and distinguish between normative and non-normative ethics;
explain principlism, distinguishing between autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice; explain how these principles can be applied in nursing;
examine how your Code of conduct and nursing practice relate to ethical theories;
briefly define teleological/consequentialist and deontological ethics;
examine how ethical thinking and beliefs can influence attitudes in patient care, patients’ health beliefs, illness and recovery;
work with others, in identifying self and patient values of importance in nursing and make links between these and the NMC code.
