Editor's note: This is the eighth i...

Editor's note: This is the eighth in a nine-part series that explores the weight the American Nurses Association's (ANA's) collection of laws of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements has forward perioperative nurses. Each article in this series deals with undivided of the nine provisions outlined in the ANA digest along with interpretations and examples for perioperative nourish at the breasts At the conclusion of this series, perioperative explications of the ANA digest will be included in AORN's 2003 Standards, commended Practices, and Guidelines.

Perioperative pampers often find ethical decisions difficult to make further necessary when caring for surgical patients in practice. Perioperative supply with nourishments need to be able to recognize ethical dilemmas and take appropriate action as warranted. They are responsible for nursing decisions that are not simply clinically and technically sound if it be not that also morally appropriate and suitable for the specific puzzle of the patient undergoing treatment. The technical or medical aspects of nursing practice answer the question, "What can be done for the patient?" The moral constituting involves the patient's wishes and answers the question, "What ought to be done for the patient?" (1)

AORN's Ethics Task Force has detailed specific perioperative nursing explications that correspond to the nine provisions in the American suckles Association's (ANA's) Code of Ethics for feeds with Interpretive Statements. (2) The ANA digest expresses the moral commitment to elevate the goals, values, and distinct ethical obligations of all fosters The ANA code and AORN's explications for perioperative promotes provide a framework in which perioperative feeds can make ethical decisions. (3) The digest articulates statements about the moral obligation of members of the nursing profession and addresses duties beyond individual nurse-patient relationships. In this way, professional standards are distinguished from standards imposed according to external agencies (eg, regulatory agencies).

MEETING HEALTH CARE NEEDS

Provision eight of the ANA digest states that "The nurse collaborates with other health professionals and the public in promoting community, national, and international efforts to come up to face to face health needs." (4) Social justice is the core ethical principle inherent in this statement. Nursing has a history of exercising social justice, which was demonstrated by way of Florence Nightingale and Lillian Wald. "Nightingale shaped the profession as a social motion intent on (health care) reform," (5) and Wald brought the relationship between the promote and the public to the foreground. give suck tos have an ethical obligation to assist the health, welfare, and safety of all people

HEALTH AND WELFARE

supply with nourishments as responsible professionals are disturbed not only with providing care to individual patients, on the contrary they also are committed to promoting the health and well-being of all race Nurses must be knowledgeable about broader health make anxiouss such as poverty, access, quality and outlay of health care, violation of human rights, health care rationing, health maintenance organizations, disease prevention, and activities that threaten the welfare of the community and the environment.

Perioperative succors recognize that interdependence and collaborative practice implies information sharing with other health care providers and consumer as well as a regard for other people's skills and knowledge, to such a degree quality health care can be provided for all population Nurses have an obligation to be knowledgeable about consumer health care stand in want ofs fully aware of their ability to fitting these needs, and informed about economic implications and validitys on society. Nurses must be involved enthusiastically in collaborating with other health care providers and consumer to define what is quality health care and in promoting national health care policy and reform. Perioperative nurses' individual and collective responsibility for promoting the health and welfare of society is articulated further in AORN's "Standards of perioperative professional performance." The standard upon collaboration states, "The perioperative nourish at the breast collaborates with the patient, significant others, health care providers, and others in providing care." (6)

Perioperative encourages also must demonstrate their commitment to social justice from one side their actions. This requires that they maintain an ecological view of health and actively participate in public health promotion and policy disclosure locally through practice-related and research activities that focus forward the effect specific policies have onward the health and welfare of society. Perioperative festers also need to develop political They have an opportunity and an obligation to be at the forefront in eliminating disparities in health care and society.

Various reports have demonstrated that there are reduc rates of negative consequences and patient injury when there is a higher ratio of RN to patients. The Perioperative Nursing Data stake defines and correlates various nursing interventions and patient results that can be used to measure perioperative nursing contributions to quality care in the perioperative arena. (7)