ABSTRACT
Introduction The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the ethical dimension of professional nursing practice and to consider what this means for both patients and nurses. A working definition of ethics is established and three major ethical theories discussed briefly. From this theoretical basis, principles that can guide the practitioner in identifying and addressing difficult situations are outlined and then applied to a range of everyday situations around aspects of day-to-day care, the beginning and end of life, and the implications for the population of research, resource allocation and health promotion.
