The American Nurses Association's new code of ethics highlights the profession's commitment to improving global health and confronting structural oppression.
For more than six decades, the Code of Ethics for Nurses has guided the profession in its mission to effectively, ethically and honorably care for patients, according to the ANA. The organization's Center for Ethics & Human Rights released the revised code on Jan. 29.
It now affirms nursing's role in improving human and environmental well-being worldwide, identifies racism as a public health crisis and acknowledges intersectionality in healthcare. The code also voices the connection between self-care and patient care, stating that nurses' well-being directly benefits their patients.
To ensure the revision was relevant, more than 6,000 nurses weighed in and a panel of 49 experts spent more than 600 hours refining the code. They addressed issues such as health disparities, racism, allyship, workplace safety and emerging technologies.
Liz Stokes, PhD, RN, director at the ANA Center for Ethics & Human Rights, said in a Jan. 29 news release from the organization: "The Code was revised to guide the nurses of today and tomorrow who exemplify our profession's moral duty to provide and advocate for safe, quality, and compassionate care for all patients and communities."