title: Virtuous principles as an ethic for nursing.
abstract: A theoretical analysis of virtuous principles--beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy and justice provides a response to the question: 'How ought ethical nursing practice be characterised?' These virtuous principles promote human flourishing and sustain and strengthen nursing practice. Beneficence, described as acting to benefit others, incorporates a balance of benefit over harm and requires nurses to take action. Non-maleficence calls nurses to refrain from inflicting harm and defines prohibitions over actions. Autonomy, defined as self-governance and self-determination, may have limitations so that absolute or perfect autonomy might be unrealistic. Finally, Justice, a problematic concept, is aligned with fairness and what a patient deserves.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University, McAuley Campus, Queensland.
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Tuckett
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D026686:Beneficence; D028663:Ethical Theory; D004993:Ethics, Nursing; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007587:Job Description; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D010344:Patient Advocacy; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D011361:Professional Competence / Q000592:standards*; D012935:Social Justice; D028722:Virtues