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Cited by 28Ethics in medical practiceEthics and bioethics in healthcareNursing Education, Practice, and Leadership

‘Practice what you preach’: Nurses’ perspectives on the Code of Ethics and Service Pledge in five South African hospitals

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White, Janine, Phakoe, Maureen, Rispel, Laetitia C.·2015·Global Health Action
DOI 10.3402/gha.v8.26341PMC PMC4430685
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: A recent focus of the global discourse on the health workforce has been on its quality, including the existence of codes of ethics. In South Africa, the importance of ethics and value systems in nursing was emphasised in the 2011 National Nursing Summit. OBJECTIVE: The study explored hospital nurses' perceptions of the International Code of Ethics for Nurses; their perceptions of the South African Nurses' Pledge of Service; and their views on contemporary ethical practice. METHODS: Following university ethics approval, the study was done at a convenience sample of five hospitals in two South African provinces. In each hospital, all day duty nurses in paediatric, maternity, adult medical, and adult surgical units were requested to complete a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire focused on their perceptions of the Code of Ethics and the Pledge, using a seven-point Likert scale. STATA(®) 13 and NVIVO 10 were used to analyse survey data and open-ended responses, respectively. RESULTS: The mean age of survey participants (n=69) was 39 years (SD=9.2), and the majority were female (96%). The majority agreed with a statement that they will promote the human rights of individuals (98%) and that they have a duty to meet the health and social needs of the public (96%). More nuanced responses were obtained for some questions, with 60% agreeing with a statement that too much emphasis is placed on patients' rights as opposed to nurses' rights and 32% agreeing with a statement that they would take part in strike action to improve nurses' salaries and working conditions. The dilemmas of nurses to uphold the Code of Ethics and the Pledge in face of workplace constraints or poor working conditions were revealed in nurses' responses to open-ended questions. CONCLUSION: Continuing education in ethics and addressing health system deficiencies will enhance nurses' professional development and their ethical decision-making and practice.

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  1. [22]Zahedi F Sanjari M Aala M Peymani M Aramesh K Parsapour A The Code of Ethics for Nurses Iran J Public Health 2013 42 1 8 23865008 PMC3712593

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Authors
White, J., Phakoe, M., & Rispel, L. C.
Affiliations
University of the Witwatersrand (ZA)
Corresponding author
White, Janine
ORCID
Venue
Global Health Action
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2015-05-11
Volume
8
Issue
1
Pages
26341
ISSN
  • 1654-9716 (ISSN-L)
  • 1654-9880
DOI
10.3402/gha.v8.26341
PMC
PMC4430685
OpenAlex
W2137555784
Cited by
28
References
32
Citations by year
2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 2 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 3
FWCI
3.65
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Global Health Action (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • Atlantic Philanthropies
  • National Research Foundation
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Ethics in medical practice
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Ethics and bioethics in healthcare
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Issues, ethics and legal aspects › Nursing Education, Practice, and Leadership
Keywords
nursing ethics, nurses' perceptions, ethical practice, nurses' rights, patient rights, workplace constraints, ethical decision-making, South African hospitals
MeSH terms
Adult, Attitude of Health Personnel, Education, Nursing, Continuing, Environment, Female, Humans, Human Rights, Male, Middle Aged, Nursing Staff, Hospital, Salaries and Fringe Benefits, South Africa, Workplace, Patient Rights, Codes of Ethics

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