Professional codes of ethics are regarded as elements of nurses' ethical knowledge base and consequently part of their ethics education. However, research focusing on these codes from an educational viewpoint is scarce. This study explored the need and applicability of nursing codes of ethics in modern health care, their importance in the nursing ethics curriculum, and the need for development of their teaching. A total of 183 Finnish nurse educators and 212 nursing students answered three structured questions, with an opportunity to justify their responses, and one open-ended question. Descriptive statistics and content analysis were used to analyse the data. The results suggest that the existence of the codes was seen as important and their applicability mainly as appropriate, despite new challenges posed by modern health care. The codes were regarded as an important part of nurses' ethics education, but current integrated teaching methods require development.
Viens D.A history of nursing's code of ethics. Nurs Outlook1989; 37: 45-49.
2.
Oulton J.ICN's Code of ethics for nurses: serving nurses and nursing care world-wide [Inside view]. Int Nurs Rev2000; 47: 137-41.
3.
Leino-Kilpi H.The need to research the teaching of ethics and the outcomes of such teaching [Editorial comment]. Nurs Ethics2001; 8: 297-98.
4.
Gastmans C., Verpeet E.30th anniversary commentary on Esterhuizen P (1996). Is the professional code still the cornerstone of clinical practice? J Adv Nurs2006; 53: 111.
5.
Davis A.The sources of a practice code of ethics for nurses. J Adv Nurs1991; 16: 1358-62.
6.
Miller B., Beck L., Adams D.Nurses' knowledge of the code for nurses. J Contin Educ Nurs1991; 21: 198-202.
7.
Whyte L., Gajos M.A study of nurses' knowledge of the UKCC code of conduct. Nurs Stand1996; 10(47): 35-39.
8.
Wagner N., Ronen I.Ethical dilemmas experienced by hospital and community nurses: an Israeli survey. Nurs Ethics1996; 3: 294-304.
9.
Verpeet E., Dierckx de Casterlé B., van der Arend A., Gastmans C.Nurses' views on ethical codes: a focus group study. J Adv Nurs2005; 51: 188-95.
10.
Tadd W., Clarke A., Lloyd L. et al. The value of nurses' codes: European nurses' views. Nurs Ethics2006: 13: 376-93.
11.
Verpeet E., Dierckx de Casterlé, Lemiengre J., Gastmans C.Belgian nurses' views on codes of ethics: development, dissemination, implementation . Nurs Ethics2006; 13: 531-45.
12.
Heymans R., van der Arend A., Gastmans C.Dutch nurses' views on codes of ethics. Nurs Ethics2007; 14: 156-70.
13.
Ethical codes in nursing.European perspectives on content and functioning. 2002. Retrieved 26 July, 2008, from: http://www.zw.unimaas.nl/ecn/
14.
Tadd V.Professional codes: an exercise in tokenism? Nurs Ethics1994 ; 1: 15-23.
15.
Tschudin V. 30th anniversary commentary on Esterhuizen P. (1996) Is the professional code still the cornerstone of clinical practice?J Adv Nurs2006; 53: 113.
16.
Limentani A.The role of ethical principles in health care and the implications for ethics codes. J Med Ethics1999; 25: 394-98.
17.
Meulenbergs T. , Verpeet E., Schotsmans P., Gastmans C.Professional codes in a changing nursing context: literature review. J Adv Nurs2004; 46: 331-36.
18.
Verpeet E., Meulenbergs T., Gastmans C.Professional values and norms for nurses in Belgium. Nurs Ethics2003; 10: 654-65.
19.
Esterhuizen P.Is the professional code still the cornerstone of clinical nursing practice?J Adv Nurs1996 ; 23: 25-31.
20.
Hussey T.Nursing ethics and codes of professional conduct. Nurs Ethics1996; 3: 250-58.
21.
Gastmans C.A fundamental ethical approach to nursing: some proposals for ethics education . Nurs Ethics2002, 9: 494-507.
22.
The Finnish Nurses Association.Ethical guidelines for nursing. 1997. Retrieved 29 August, 2007, from: http://www.sairaanhoitajaliitto.fi/sairaanhoitajan_tyo/ohjeita_ja_suosituksia/sairaanhoitajan_eettiset_ohjeet/ethical_guidelines_of_nursing/
23.
International Council of Nurses.The ICN code of ethics for nurses. Geneva, ICN , 2006:
24.
Quinn C.A conceptual approach to the identification of essential ethics content for the undergraduate nursing curriculum. J Adv Nurs1990; 15: 726-31.
25.
Storch J., Rodney P., Starzomski R.Toward a moral horizon. Nursing ethics for leadership and practice . Toronto: Brady, 2004.
26.
Pattison S.Are nursing codes of practice ethical? Nurs Ethics2001; 8: 5-18.
27.
Gold C., Chambers J., McQuaid Dvorak E.Ethical dilemmas in the lived experience of nursing practice. Nurs Ethics1995; 2: 131-42.
28.
Dinç L. , Ulusoy M.How nurses approach ethical problems in Turkey . Int Nurs Rev1998; 45: 137-39.
29.
Heikkinen A. , Lemonidou C., Petsios K., Barazzetti G., Radaelli S., Leino-Kilpi H.Ethical codes in nursing practice: the viewpoint of Finnish, Greek and Italian nurses. J Adv Nurs2006; 55: 310-19.
30.
Heikkinen A. , Leino-Kilpi H.Eettiset ohjeet - näkökulma hoitotyön etiikan koulutukseen. (Code of ethics - a perspective on ethics education in nursing.) In: Salminen L, Hupli M eds. Terveysalan opettajana 2000-luvulla, osa I. (Working as a health care educator in the 21st century, part I.) University of Turku. Department of Nursing Research Reports A. 44/2004. Digipaino : Turun yliopisto (Turku University), 2004: 58-65 (in Finnish).
31.
Milton C.Ethics content in nursing education: pondering with the possible. Nurs Sci Q2004; 17: 308-11.
32.
Pederson C.Effects of structured controversy on students' perceptions of their skills in discussing controversial issues. J Nurs Educ1992; 31: 101-106.
33.
Kanne M.Professional nurses should have their own ethics: the current status of nursing ethics in the Dutch curriculum. Nurs Ethics1994; 1: 25-33.
34.
Pask E.Guilt and nursing practice: implications for nurse education and the climate of care. Nurs Ethics1994; 1: 80-85.
35.
Thompson FEMoving from codes of ethics to ethical relationships for midwifery practice. Nurs Ethics2002; 9: 522-36.
36.
Scott A.Emotion, moral perception, and nursing practice. Nurs Philos2000; 1: 123-33.
37.
Scott A.Professional ethics: are we on the wrong track? Nurs Ethics1998; 5: 477-85.
38.
Nolan P., Markert D.Ethical reasoning observed: a longitudinal study of nursing students . Nurs Ethics2002; 9: 243-58.
39.
Polit D., Beck C.Nursing research: principles and methods, seventh edition. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins , 2004.
Beauchamp T. , Childress J.Principles of biomedical ethics, fourth edition. New York : Oxford University Press, 1994.
42.
The Finnish National Board of Education.The education system of Finland. 2007. Retrieved 27 July, 2008, from: http://www.oph.fi/english/SubPage.asp?path5447 ,4699
43.
Kohlberg L.Moral stages and moralization. In: Lickona T ed. Moral development and behaviour: theory, research and social issues. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1976: 31-54, 69-80, 84-107.
44.
Allmark P.Uncertainties in the teaching of ethics to students of nursing. J Adv Nurs1995; 22: 374-78.
45.
Gastmans C., Dierckx de Casterlé B., Schotsmans P.Nursing considered as moral practice: a philosophical-ethical interpretation of nursing. Kennedy Inst Ethics J1998; 8: 43-69.
46.
Leino-Kilpi H.We need more nursing ethics research [Guest editorial]. J Adv Nurs2004; 45: 345-46.
47.
Gaul A.Ethics content in baccalaureate degree curricula. Nurs Clinics North Am1989; 24: 475-83.
48.
Scott A.Ethics education and nursing practice. Nurs Ethics1996; 3: 53-63.
