Values and ethical principles in nursing

In this paper I explore what kind of values enter into the different dimensions of the human being and how the principles of freedom, brotherhood and equality relate to the well-being of man, and further how technology, bureaucracy and specialization may curtail the observance of humaneness in nursing care. I also discuss the compatibility or incompatibility of values in nursing and the increasingly scientific nature of nursing. Respect for freedom is a condition for personal growth and development; recognition of the value of brotherhood is a condition for social participation; and equality a condition for meeting physical needs. However, these values are linked together and form a whole. The scientific nature of nursing contributes to the clarification of values in nursing. My doctoral dissertation, 'Self-care and nursing', on which this paper is based, deals with values and principles in nursing.