Ethical Considerations for the Advanced Practice Aesthetic Nurse

Area of Science:

• Nursing Ethics
• Aesthetic Medicine
• Advanced Practice Registered Nursing

Background:

• The field of aesthetic medicine is rapidly expanding, presenting unique challenges for healthcare professionals.
• Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) are increasingly involved in aesthetic practice.
• Ethical considerations specific to APRNs in aesthetic practice are not well-documented in existing literature.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore ethical considerations for APRNs in aesthetic practice.
• To analyze existing literature through the lens of four core nursing ethical principles: autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice.
• To identify gaps in the literature and potential risks to patients.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature review was conducted across seven electronic bibliographic databases.
• Inclusion and exclusion criteria were used as search limiters.
• Thematic analysis was applied to identify recurring ethical themes.

Main Results:

• A limited amount of peer-reviewed literature specifically addresses ethical considerations for aesthetic APRNs.
• Common themes in broader ethical literature include informed consent, the medicalization of aesthetics, marketing practices, and the need for regulatory order.
• Analysis reveals gaps in understanding the ethical scope of practice for aesthetic APRNs.

Conclusions:

• Defining the role of the aesthetic APRN requires analyzing common ethical themes and their relevance to advanced nursing scope of practice.
• Identifying literature gaps is crucial for informing ethical practice and mitigating risks to patients in aesthetic procedures.
• Further research is needed to establish clear ethical guidelines for APRNs in aesthetic medicine.