Nursing Code of Conduct
Source: unsplash

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been rapidly evolving in recent years, and the technology is seeing widespread adoption. In the latest survey from McKinsey & Company, 78% of respondents reported their organizations using AI in at least one business function.

As the use of analytical and generative AI tools continues to surge, the artificial intelligence market in the US is projected to reach US$73.98 billion by this year. This rapid growth has sparked discussions about the ethical use of AI tools, especially in high-risk settings like healthcare.

Whether you’re working in healthcare or pursuing further study, like MSN to DNP programs online, understanding the evolving technology involved is important. The knowledge can be used to inform your use of technology as a nurse and in the greater healthcare industry.

This article covers how nurses can balance the evolving technologies revolutionizing healthcare, such as AI, with their profession’s code of conduct. So, when implementing technology into the workforce, factors and ethics are taken into consideration.

What is the nursing code of conduct?

In the United States, the nursing code of conduct refers to the American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics for Nurses, often referred to as “the Code”. It’s the definitive standard for ethical nursing practices in the country.

The most current Code features 10 provisions, which set out values for the nursing profession, how to act, and goals to strive for. As listed on the ANA website, these provisions are:

Provision 1:  The nurse practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and unique attributes of every person.

Provision 2: A nurse’s primary commitment is to the recipient(s) of nursing care, whether an individual, family, group, community, or population.

Provision 3: The nurse establishes a trusting relationship and advocates for the rights, health, and safety of the recipient(s) of nursing care.

Provision 4: Nurses have authority over nursing practice and are responsible and accountable for their practice consistent with their obligations to promote health, prevent illness, and provide optimal care.

Provision 5: The nurse has moral duties to self as a person of inherent dignity and worth, including an expectation of a safe place to work that fosters flourishing, authenticity of self at work, and self-respect through integrity and professional competence.

Provision 6: Nurses, through individual and collective effort, establish, maintain, and improve the ethical environment of the work setting that affects nursing care and the well-being of nurses.

Provision 7: Nurses advance the profession through multiple approaches to knowledge development, professional standards, and the generation of policies for nursing, health, and social concerns.

Provision 8: Nurses build collaborative relationships and networks with nurses, other healthcare and non-healthcare disciplines, and the public to achieve greater ends.

Provision 9: Nurses and their professional organizations work to enact and resource practices, policies, and legislation to promote social justice, eliminate health inequities, and facilitate human flourishing.

Provision 10: Nursing, through organizations and associations, participates in the global nursing and health community to promote human and environmental health, well-being, and flourishing.

Nursing Code of Conduct
Source: unsplash

The clinical significance

The Code has clinical significance because it acts as a foundation for nurses, who deal with ethical issues daily. The provisions from the Code can help nurses navigate these ethical dilemmas by providing guidelines focusing on the main principles of ethics:

  • Autonomy
  • Beneficence
  • Justice
  • Non-maleficence

It helps nurses respect their patients’ beliefs, advocate for them, and provide quality care, even if there’s conflict. The Code also ensures there is consistency in the treatment provided by nurses across the country, as they all follow the same provisions.

This also results in increased quality of care and improved patient outcomes, as there’s a specific standard to meet. Also, it allows healthcare professionals to be held accountable if their actions and care don’t align with the Code.

The History of the Code

The concept of nursing ethics can be traced back to the late 19th century. At that time, people believed nurses’ ethics should consist of virtues, such as physician loyalty, high moral character, and obedience.

It wasn’t until the 1950s that the first formal Code of Ethics to guide the nursing profession was developed. It was created and published by the American Nursing Association, which is still refining and updating the Code today.

Applying the code to technology

Over the past decade, technology has been increasingly integrated into every facet of healthcare. From the delivery of care to monitoring patients, managing records, and administering prescriptions, these processes have all become reliant on digital systems.

Statistics report that smart hospitals are rapidly growing, and are projected to reach $148.36 billion by 2029. The concept of a smart hospital refers to integrating and leveraging technology such as IoT, AI, and robotics to enhance patient care and operational efficiency. 

The implementation of artificial intelligence in healthcare has sparked discussion of ethics and safe practices. A few countries, such as Australia, have already begun implementing guidelines for using the technology in settings like healthcare to create a foundation for safe and responsible AI use.

The United States should draw from these pre-existing recommendations that other countries have set out, and consider the provisions listed in the Code of Ethics for Nurses. It can help inform the implementation and use of new technologies in healthcare.

Many values set by the Code of Ethics for Nurses can already be applied to the technology used in the nursing industry. For example, drawing from Provision 2, the technology’s primary goal should be to benefit the recipient(s) of nursing care and shouldn’t serve other unrelated purposes, e.g., data collection.

Similarly, many of the nursing ethics codes can already be applied to the implementation of technology and artificial intelligence, such as Provisions 9 and 10. Technology should only be implemented in a manner that promotes social justice, eliminates health inequities, and facilitates human flourishing.