Bioethics and nursing — an outline o issues

A constant development of medical knowledge, as well as of technology supporting it, causes the emergence of new, previously unknown ethical dilemmas. The codes of professional ethics and relevant legislation are usually helpful in solving them.

However, a continuous improvement of science precedes a development of codified ethical norms or laws. Among other things such a state of affairs led to the creation of bioethics in the 70s of the 20th century. It takes as a basis of its considerations the biological nature of a man and the development of biotechnology. It aims to reveal the conflicts emerging at the junction of these two elements in relation to the medical, philosophical, sociological and psychological dimension. Bioethics as a multidisciplinary field requires the cooperation of representatives of many professions, among which nurses should play an important role. Nursing, as one of the essential elements of the health care system can not function in isolation from the bioethical issues arising in contemporary societies. A bioethical reflection does not mean a denial of traditional professional ethics collected in the form of codes of ethics, but it is an additional clue in solving moral dilemmas.

The study is aimed at discussing relationship between bioethics and nursing.