Guide to the Code of Ethics for Nurses: Interpretation and Application, by Marsha Fowler. Silver Springs: American Nurses Association; 2008. 176 pages; paperback; $17.95 members of ANA 13.95.
The purpose of the book is to provide a guide for ethical behavior for professional nurses as well as for nursing students. Every profession needs a code of ethics to guide professional members as well as to ensure that both quality care is provided to the public, and that the nurses working in the profession receive the support they deserve to properly fulfill their duties and obligations as a nurse.
The book begins with a historical overview of the code of ethics for nurses. Each provision is explained in detail including a historical summary and how the provision was updated to reflect the many changes in nursing and the healthcare profession. The guide can easily assist nurses to become familiar with the code of ethics and reflect on their own ethical behavior within the profession.
The content of the book is detailed and accurate from the historical overview to the current, complex ethical issues facing nursing today. The style of the book with each provision being discussed separately is complete and the flow of the content is easy to read. The theory and application included for each provision allow professional nurses to apply these provisions to situations they face every day as a nurse. A strength of the book is the case study examples that are specific to the many challenges facing contemporary nursing. An additional strength of the book is the timeline showing the evolution of nursing's code of ethics. The book's weakness is the lack of pictures or visual aids within the chapters.
The overall impression of the book is that it provides an important resource in terms of the relevance of the many ethical challenges facing professional nurses today. The code of ethics is as useful today as it was in 1893, when Florence Nightingale wrote the "Nightingale Pledge." The code of ethics is a powerful tool for nurses everywhere so they can better understand their ethical and professional obligations to their career. The book needs to be used in nursing programs as a tool to educate nursing students for their future profession. By beginning the thread of ethics through the nursing programs and within the professional workforce, nurses will have the foundation to better handle these difficult ethical decisions.
-Vanessa Sammons, MSN, APRN, BC, CNE
Assistant Professor of Nursing, Morehead State University, Morehead, Kentucky