Professional codes in a changing nursing context: literature review

BACKGROUND: Professional codes played a definitive role during a specific period of time, when the professional context of nursing was characterized by an increasing professionalization. Today, however, this professional context has changed. AIM: This paper reports on a study which aimed to explore the meaning of professional codes in the current context of the nursing profession. METHOD: A literature review on professional codes and the nursing profession was carried out. The literature was systematically investigated using the electronic databases PubMed and The Philosopher's Index, and the keywords nursing codes, professional codes in nursing, ethics codes/ethical codes, professional ethics. CONCLUSION: Due to the nursing profession's growing multidisciplinary nature, the increasing dominance of economic discourse, and the intensified legal framework in which health care professionals need to operate, the context of nursing is changing. In this changed professional context, nursing professional codes have to accommodate to the increasing ethical demands placed upon the profession. Therefore, an ethicization of these codes is desirable, and their moral objectives need to be revalued.