Give an account of one clause from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (2002) Code of Professional Conduct and discuss the importance of this for your present / future practice.

Clause 2.2 states that Nurses' should safeguard a patient's dignity (NMC, 2002).  Protecting a patient's dignity requires treating that patient as a whole person, taking into account their physical, psychological and social needs.     For example, privacy is a social need among many people therefore a Nurse should ensure privacy whenever patients are being examined or treated, changing clothes, etc.  The Code also highlights that the requirements to promote the dignity of patients are not always the same.  A Nurse will need to take into account a person's race, gender, age, customs, values and spiritual beliefs in order to tailor their care.  Using the need for privacy example, Bauer (1994) discovered that elderly patients perceived more lack of privacy than younger patients (cited in Back, 1998), therefore more care is need to establish adequate levels of privacy for this group.    

Clause 2.3 states that the Nurse should maintain a professional relationship with the patient at all times and the relationship should entirely focus on the needs of the patient (NMC, 2002).  Maintaining a good Nurse / patient relationship is an important aspect of nursing care.  As rapport and trust builds between both parties, the patient will be able to feel more comfortable in discussing his/her anxieties and will feel less self-conscious when the nurse is providing intimate care.   However, Morse (1991) states that clinical judgement is negatively effected if a Nurse becomes emotionally involved with a patient (cited in Williams A, 2001).

Clause 2.4 highlights the duty to promote the interests of patients.  This suggests that Nurses should assume a patient advocacy role.  Dubler (1992) defines this as: "acting to the limit of professional ability to provide for the clients interests and needs, as the patient defines them." (cited in Hewitt, 2002).  However, this advocacy should not be used to undermine a patient's autonomy and a Nurse should only act when the patient is unable or unwilling to do so themselves.  For example, a Nurse can raise objections or highlight concerns to a Doctor about an operation a patient is about to have, if that patient feels unable, to do this him/herself.

The final sub-clause (2.5) deals with a Nurse's right to conscientious objection (NMC, 2002).  In the UK, conscientious objection is a fundamental right of any person to be excused or excluded from any activity that conflicts with their values and beliefs (Burnard and Chapmen, 1993).  For example, a Nurse may hold strong anti-abortion values and therefore would not want to take part on such a procedure.  However, a Nurse's right to object is excluded from emergency situations, where the Nurse is expected to participate in care until another Nurse can take over.

In conclusion we can see how the code of conduct protects the rights of the patient.  This particular clause of the code highlights the need for patient autonomy and their need for care based on their physical, psychological and social needs.  These needs are individual to every patient and it is the Nurse's duty to discover those needs and plan patient care accordingly.  

References

BACK, E.  (1998)  Privacy in Hospital.  Journal of Advanced Nursing.  27(5) p940, May.

BEAUCHAMP, T,L. and CHILDRESS, J,F.  (1994) Principles of Biomedical Ethics.  4th Ed.  Oxford: Oxford University Press.

BURNARD, P and CHAPMAN, C. (1993) Professional and Ethical Issues in Nursing: The Code of Professional Conduct.  2nd ED.  Middlesex: Scutari Press.

EDWARDS, S, D.  (1996) Nursing Ethics: A principle based approach.  London: MacMillian Press Ltd.

HEWITT, J.  (2002) A critical review of the augments debating the role of the nurse advocate.  Journal of Advances Nursing.  37(5) p. 439, March.

NURSING AND MIDWIFERY COUNCIL. (2002) Code of Professional Conduct.  London: Nursing and Midwifery Council

VALIMAKI, M. and LEINO-KIKPI, H. (1998) Preconditions for and consequences of self-determination: the psychiatric patient's point of view.  Journal of Advanced Nursing.  27, pp204-212

WILLIAMS, A. (2001).  A literature review of the concepts of intimacy in nursing.  Journal of Advanced Nursing.  33(5) p660, March.