Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements

The American Nurses Association is proud to announce a completely updated Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements(The Code). This book is the definitive framework for ethical analysis and decision-making for RNs across all practice levels, roles and settings. Revisions were made in response to the complexities of modern nursing, to simplify and more clearly articulate the content, to anticipate advances in health care, and to incorporate aids that would make it richer, more accessible, and easier to use. The Code is particularly useful to in today’s health care environment because it reiterates the fundamental values and commitments of the nurse (Provisions 1–3), identifies the boundaries of duty and loyalty (Provisions 4–6), and describes the duties of the nurse that extend beyond individual patient encounters (Provisions 7–9). This revision retains interpretive statements for each provision that provide more specific guidance for practice. The statements are responsive to the contemporary context of nursing and recognize the larger scope of nursing’s concern in relation to health.