Community/Public Health Nursing 6th Edition by Mary Nies ,Melanie McEwen

Exercise 2

Community health nurses working in the field of women's health will be exposed to ethical dilemmas during their careers. For this reason, nurses must have a working knowledge of the principles of health care ethics. The commonly accepted principles include the following:
• Respect for autonomy
• Beneficence
• Non-maleficence
• Justice
Nursing care revolves around moral values such as compassion, empathy, honesty, trust, and respect. Most encounters will be nonproblematic. Occasionally, nurses may be exposed to clinical situations that challenge their values and beliefs. Clients and family members may, at times, also disagree with the nurse's professional advice/plan. It is important for the nurse to keep his or her personal philosophy, politics, religion, and moral values out of clinical work with individuals and families.
Examples of potential ethical dilemmas related to women's health care are emergency contraception, abortion, assisted reproductive technology, and end-of-life issues.