Ethics in children's nursing (Chapter 20)

The primary aim of this chapter is to examine, within the context of recent developments in child health practice and research, some underlying ethical demands and dilemmas facing children’s nurses. A description of the Nuremburg Code, the Helsinki Declaration, The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Human Rights Acts will form the backdrop to this chapter and a range of contemporary examples will be used to illuminate these issues. Within this arena, the four major principles that underpin healthcare ethics will be investigated and past examples of historical unethical practice and research acknowledged. The vulnerability of children and their families to potential coercion and the role of research ethics committees will be discussed