Respect for persons: the patient with AIDS

Even though the Code for Nurses calls for nurses to provide nondiscriminatory care and to treat patients with respect, research shows that nurses (1) are reluctant to provide care to and (2) believe that they should have the right to refuse to care for patients with AIDS. This article presents two contrasting situations and focuses on the ethical principle of respect for persons. Nurses need to examine their own practice to determine if they are providing care that respects the uniqueness and rights of their patients.