title: Toward a theory of nursing ethics.
abstract: The development of nursing ethics as a field of inquiry has largely paralleled developments within the field of biomedical ethics. However, there is growing evidence that the development of a theory of nursing ethics might not necessarily follow a similar pattern. The value foundations of nursing ethics are derived from the nature of the nurse-patient relationship instead of from models of patient good, rights-based notions of autonomy, or the social contract of professional practice as articulated in prominent theories of medical ethics. The value foundations of nursing are analyzed, and a moral-point-of-view theory with caring as a fundamental value is proposed for the development of a theory of nursing ethics.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Maryland, Baltimore.
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Fry
mesh_terms: D004645:Empathy; D026689:Ethical Analysis; D004993:Ethics, Nursing; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D035863:Moral Development; D009014:Morals; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009732:Nursing Care; D009742:Nursing Theory; D010687:Philosophy, Nursing; D012945:Social Values