Final answer:
Nurses implement deontological ethics when they prioritize the needs of one specific patient, acting according to the duty to care for that individual without causing unnecessary harm, adhering to principles over consequential outcomes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Within the setting of nursing, the ethical theory that involves acting on the basis of the needs of one specific patient rather than the potential consequences to other patients is deontology. This ethical framework places an emphasis on duties and rules, suggesting an act is morally right when it adheres to certain universal principles, such as the obligation to treat each patient as an end in and of themselves. This reflects Immanuel Kant's philosophical approach, particularly through his concept of the categorical imperative. Nurses employing this approach would focus on the duty to care for each individual patient, adhering to their duties and commitments without weighing the actions based purely on outcomes or consequences that may affect others.
The principle of nonmaleficence relates directly to deontology, as it requires that actions do not cause unnecessary harm, and each procedure, treatment, or test is essential to the well-being of the patient in question. Thus, when nurses act with the primary intent of not causing harm to their specific patients by providing needed care, they are adhering to this deontological principle.