Nursing Diagnosis: An Ethical Analysis

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Abstract
The ethical consequences of nursing diagnosis in light of the principle “to do no harm” have not been adequately explored. It is proposed that human suffering is created through nursing actions that objectively judge and reduce human beings and their complex relationships with the world. The ethical dimensions for nurses required to participate in the diagnostic process are clarified and three levels of potential ham for individuals with parallel ethical conflicts for nurses are described. National nursing associations and accrediting agencies are challenged to consider the paternalistic underpinnings of the diagnostic process and the ethical outcomes of mandating only one approach in practice. Parse's humanistic theory of nursing is presented as one scientific approach which upholds the duty “to do no harm.”

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