Key Concepts and Issues in Nursing Ethics

This second edition offers updates, new topics, and new short case studies, based on real stories from the health care arena, ensuring that each chapter of this book is rooted in descriptions of nursing practise that are grounded, salient narratives of nursing care. The reader is assisted to explore the ethical dimension of nursing practice: what it is and how it can be portrayed, discussed, and analysed within a variety of practice and theoretical contexts. One of the unique contributions of this book is to consider nursing not only in the context of the individual nurse – patient relationship but also as a social good that is of necessity limited, due to the ultimate limits on the nursing and health care resource. This book will help the reader consider what good nursing looks like, both within the context of limitations on resources, during crises situations, and under conditions of scarcity.

Indeed, any discussion of ethical issues in nursing should be well grounded in aconceptualisation of nursing that nursing students and practising nursing can recognise, accept and engage with. Nursing, like medicine, social work and teaching has a clear moral aim – to do good. In the case of nursing to do good for the patient. However it is vital that in the pressurised, constrained, post-COVID-19 pandemic health service of the 21st century, we help nurses explore what this might mean for nursing practice and what can reasonably be expected of the individual nurse, and the nursing profession, in terms of good nursing care.

Prof P Anne Scott retired from the University of Galway (formerly NUI Galway) in June 2021. On retirement she was awarded Professor Emerita status with the University. Immediately prior to retirement Prof Scott held the post of Vice President for Equality and Diversity NUI Galway (2016 – 2021). Anne has also been Dean of the Faculty of Education, Health and Community Liverpool John Moores University (2014-2016), Professor of Nursing and Head of the School of Nursing (2000-2006), and Deputy President and Registrar, Dublin City University (2006-2012). Her research interests include the ethics domain of health care practice, the philosophy and ethics of health care, judgement and decision-making in clinical practice and health services research - focusing on the health work force.

Anne has been a member of a number of research funding agencies and health service agencies in Ireland and the UK – Board member of the Health Research Board, Founding member of the Irish Council for Bioethics, Board member of the Health Service Executive (Ireland), Chair of the Cervical Check Steering Committee in Ireland and Chair of the HEAnet Board of Directors. Currently, Anne is Board member of the Irish Higher Education Authority (HEA), and Chair of the Board of her local community centre.