[Nursing ethics and the access to nursing care]

Area of Science:

• Nursing Ethics
• Bioethics
• Philosophy of Care

Context:

• Everyday nursing practice increasingly presents ethical dilemmas.
• Traditional nursing roles are being re-evaluated in light of global nursing shortages.
• The healthcare market impacts vulnerable populations, raising concerns about equitable access to care.

Purpose:

• To analyze the role of ethical theories, specifically the ethics of care, in nursing practice.
• To examine how the ethics of care influences understandings of gender, power, and professional knowledge.
• To explore the evolution of nursing ethics from individual care to social justice.

Summary:

• The article examines the ethics of care's contribution to nursing practice, addressing gender roles, power imbalances, and professional knowledge.
• It discusses the shift from a traditional view of nurses as marginalized to their central role in public health due to care scarcity.
• A new understanding of nursing ethics incorporates social ethics, advocating for "caring for the access to care" as a social justice goal.

Impact:

• Highlights the evolving nature of nursing ethics and its practical implications.
• Emphasizes the growing importance of nurses in public health and the need for equitable care access.
• Provides a framework for understanding and addressing ethical challenges in contemporary healthcare settings.