Professional Ethics in Nursing and Midwifery: Principles, Challenges, and Contemporary Issues

Professional ethics forms the foundation of nursing and midwifery practice, guiding practitioners in delivering compassionate, respectful, and equitable care while navigating complex moral dilemmas. This narrative review explores core ethical principles—autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice—as applied in nursing and midwifery, alongside international codes of conduct from the International Council of Nurses (ICN) and International Confederation of Midwives (ICM). Drawing on evidence from ۲۰۲۰–۲۰۲۵, including post-COVID-۱۹ challenges, the review highlights persistent ethical issues such as resource allocation, patient visitation restrictions, digital ethics, cultural conflicts, and professional boundaries. Recent studies underscore dilemmas related to informed consent, end-of-life decisions, reproductive rights in midwifery, and moral distress amid staffing shortages and pandemics. Advances in ethics education, including simulation-based training and integration into curricula, show promise in enhancing moral resilience and decision-making. Barriers to ethical practice include organizational constraints, burnout, and evolving technologies like telehealth and AI. This review synthesizes over ۳۰ sources, primarily peer-reviewed articles and global guidelines from ۲۰۲۱–۲۰۲۵, to affirm the transformative role of robust ethical frameworks in upholding patient dignity and professional integrity. Recommendations emphasize ongoing education, policy support for ethical environments, and culturally sensitive adaptations to address emerging issues like climate health impacts and global health inequities. Future directions should prioritize longitudinal research on moral distress, intersectional ethics, and interprofessional collaboration to strengthen nursing and midwifery as ethical pillars of healthcare.

کلیدواژه ها:

nursing ethics ، midwifery ethics ، ICN Code of Ethics ، ICM Code of Ethics ، ethical dilemmas