Nursing fundamentals texts: where's the ethics?

A primary source of information on professional ethics for nursing students is the nursing fundamentals text used in the initial courses. This study systematically evaluated nursing fundamentals texts for their coverage of ethically relevant content. Forty-two nursing fundamentals texts published from 1965 to 1985 were evaluated for: inclusion of a professional code of ethics; interpretive statements, discussion and examples; and guidelines for ethical decision making. Forty-five percent of the texts contained no content on ethics, with the remainder varying in their depth of coverage. Analysis revealed a moderate correlation (r = 0.59) between the year of publication and the average number of pages accorded content on ethics in that year. The results reflect a gradual, although irregular, trend toward inclusion of greater amounts of content on ethics. Recommendations were proposed that would facilitate the inclusion of content on ethics into nursing curricula. These included: greater communication between faculty and text publishers regarding the importance of content on ethics, inclusion of ethics as a curricular thread, small-group workshops to increase faculty sensitivity to the need for preparation in ethical decision making, and an elective course in nursing ethics.