Final answer:
The four principal elements of the ICN Code of Ethics for ethical conduct in nursing are autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. These principles are crucial in maintaining ethical standards in medical treatment and research involving human subjects, ensuring that patients' rights are respected, beneficial actions are taken, harm is avoided, and resources and risks are fairly distributed.
Step-by-step explanation:
The ICN Code of Ethics outlines four principle elements for ethical conduct in the nursing profession. These fundamental principles include the Principle of autonomy, which emphasizes the right of patients to make informed decisions about their healthcare; the Principle of beneficence, which is the obligation to act in ways that benefit others; the Principle of nonmaleficence, which requires avoiding harm to others; and the Principle of justice, which revolves around fairness in the distribution of benefits and risks.
Each of these principles plays a crucial role in ensuring ethical behavior in medical settings. Autonomy respects patients' rights to self-determination, beneficence involves actions that are for the good of others, nonmaleficence ensures that no harm is caused, and justice requires that resources and risks are distributed fairly.
These ethical principles are foundational not just in medical treatment, but extend into research involving human subjects, where issues like obtaining informed consent, maintaining confidentiality, and protecting subjects from personal harm are paramount to uphold ethical standards.