Ethics and nursing practice / Ruth Chadwick, Ann Gallagher.

First edition published 1991 by Palgrave MacMillan.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nursing ethics in the 21st century -- Ethics and professional codes -- Nursesʹ ethic in organizational contexts -- The nurse-patient relationship -- Nursing adults -- Nursing the unborn and newborn -- Nursing the child -- Nursing and mental health -- Nursing older people -- Care of the dying person -- Nursing and research ethics -- Nursing and public health.

In recent years, the negative findings of numerous high-profile reports have shaken the public's trust in health and social care services. Nurses, educators and policy-makers have been challenged to understand and agree on what needs to be done to prevent a continuation of the kind of unethical practices uncovered by these reports. Consequently, ethics is now an even more integral part of the professional nursing curriculum. This comprehensive and thought-provoking second edition of Ethics and Nursing Practice offers both an essential introduction to key aspects of nursing ethics, including the role of professional codes of conduct and challenges to be encountered in the 21st century, and an in-depth exploration of ethical issues in relation to specific patient groups, such as the unborn, those with mental health difficulties, and the dying. In addition, the book provides a stimulating discussion of ethics relating to public health issues, such as smoking and obesity, as well as the fundamental matter of ethics in nursing research.