Agreement: the origin of ethical action

The health care setting is an interweaving of human concerns. What is needed in this arena is an ethic--a guidance system centered on, and relevant to, these concerns. Such an ethic must be derived from, and appropriate to, the health care setting and the practice of health care professionals. This is established by the health care professional/patient agreement. This article will describe how a practice-based, symphonological ethic--an ethic based on agreement--can be brought to bear on the adversities faced by nurses and any other health care professional in any setting.