Monday, June 26, 2006

Nurse leaders serve greater good by making decisions based on ethics

Writing in the January-March 2006 Nursing Administration Quarterly, Kathleen Sanford, current president of the American Organization of Nurse Executives, offers tips to help nurse executives make ethical management decisions. The author asserts that just as nurses face ethical issues in patient care, nurse administrators face complex ethical dilemmas in management. In striving to make the best decisions for their hospitals and staff, nurse executives must champion the “principles of right, moral, and good conduct.” To this end, nurse executives should consider the impact of decisions on all stakeholders, identify which decision best serves the common good, and evaluate the results of each decision to improve future decisions.

To read the full article:
Sanford K. (2006) The ethical leader. Nurs Adm Q. 30(1):5-10.