Written by a nurse and a philosopher, Ethics in Nursing blends the concrete detail of recurring problems in nursing practice with the perspectives, methods, and resources of philosophical ethics. It stresses the aspects of the nurses role and relations with others -- physicians, patients, administrators, other nurses -- that give ethical problems in nursing their special focus. Among the issues addressed are deception, parentalism, confidentiality, conscientious refusal, nurse autonomy, compromise, and personal responsibility for institutional and public policy. The third edition has been enlarged with new cases and case discussions related to AIDS and an additional chapter on the expanding scope of nursing ethics as it addresses issues related to scarce resources, cost containment, justice, and the possibilities of health care rationing.

PART I: Moral Dilemmas and Ethical Injury 1. Moral Dilemmas in Nursing 2. Ethical Codes: Uses and Limitations 3. The Fundamental Question of Morality 4. Ethical Inquiry 5. Ethical Autonomy and Institutional-Hierarchical Constraints PART II: Unavoidable Topics in Ethical Theory 1. Introduction 2. Basic Ethical Principles 3. Knowledge in Ethics 4. Ethics, Law, and Religion PART III: Nurses and Clients 1. Introduction 2. Parentalism 3. Deception 4. Confidentiality 5. Personal Risks and Professional Obligations 6. Conflicting Claims PART IV: Recurring Ethical Issues in Nurse-Physician Relationships 1. Conflicts Between Nurse and Physician 2. Nurse Autonomy 3. Collaborations 4. Integrity-Preserving Compromise 5. Conscientious Refusal 6. Determining Responsibility PART V: Ethical Dilemmas Among Nurses 1. Tensions Between Nurses 2. Respect for Persons 3. Professional Obligations 4. Administrative Dilemmas PART VI: Personal Responsibility for Institutional and Public Policy 1. The Scope of Individual Responsibility 2. Institutional Policies and Strikes 3. Institutional Ethics Committees 4. Blowing the Whistle 5. Public Policy: Advance Directives 6. Putting It All Together PART VII: Cost Containment, Justice, and Rationing 1. Introduction 2. Cost Containment and the Claims of Justice 3. Access to Care 4. The Concept of Rationing 5. The Oregon Proposal 6. Toward Ethical Rationing 7. Rationing and the Importance of Nursing Care 8. The Expanding Scope of Nursing Ethics

Martin BenjaminProfessor of Philosophy, Joy CurtisProfessor of Nursing and University Ombudsman, both at Michigan State University

From reviews of the second edition:"Well-conceived. . . Has justly become a widely used text in nursing ethics." --Ethics