Question

___ is a key component of professional nurses' code of ethics. The nurse ensures clients' safety, health, and rights, including the right to privacy, confidentiality, and refusal of care.

Answer 1

Confidentiality is crucial in nursing ethics, ensuring patient safety, privacy, and respect for autonomy. It is mandated by ethical codes and legal standards such as HIPAA. These principles are integral to maintaining trust and dignity within healthcare.

Step-by-step explanation:

​Confidentiality is a key component of professional nurses' code of ethics. The nurse ensures clients' safety, health, and rights, including the right to privacy, confidentiality, and refusal of care. Ensuring patients' rights to privacy and dignity, protecting them from personal harm, preserving confidentiality, seeking informed consent, and respecting the principle of autonomy are fundamental to nursing practice. Confidentiality of personal information is critical in building trust and ensuring safety. This is not only ethically and legally important but also essential for the integrity of healthcare services. Various professional organizations enforce codes of ethics that include duties to respect privacy, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers Computer Society's Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice. Legal considerations like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) require healthcare providers to maintain strict confidentiality of patient records.