Which term describes the values and ethical principles guiding nursing practice, conduct, and relationships?

• A. Autonomy
• B. Morals
• C. Nursing ethics
• D. Personal ethics

Answer: (C)

The values and ethical principles guiding nursing practice, conduct, and relationships are described by nursing ethics. This field provides the organized framework that professional nurses use to make decisions, address ethical dilemmas, and govern behaviors in patient care, including how to respect autonomy, ensure beneficence and nonmaleficence, protect confidentiality, and maintain professional boundaries. While autonomy refers to a patient’s right to make their own choices and personal morals or ethics refer to individual beliefs, nursing ethics is the formal, profession-wide guide that shapes how nurses act in all aspects of practice. It’s documented in codes of ethics and professional standards that define how nurses should interact with patients, families, and colleagues and uphold accountability and justice in care.