545 - Ethics in Nursing

Ethics in Nursing
By Martin, Benjamin and Joy Curtis
Oxford Univ., 1981. 180 pp. $7.95.

The moral dilemmas which assail nursing care professionals in a changing society and health-care systems are timely topics treated here comprehensively with substantiated references. The first two chapters establish a philosophical basis and a methodology for ethical inquiry which draws on the science of logic, ethical knowledge, and the psychology and ethical autonomy. A study is made of four types of ethical theories which are applied to specific nursing situations The remaining chapters treat moral issues arising from four relational contexts: the nurse with clients, with physicians, with other nurses, and with social structures.

This book accomplishes its purpose in stressing the importance of thinking for oneself as a health-care professional, and in developing skills for ethical inquiry. And its usefulness lies in the practical application of theory through the case study method. It is highly recommended for professionals involved in nursing education, for the moral and the pastoral theologian, and for the counselor.

Sister Dolores Pelletier, D. W
St. Joseph Hospital and Health Care Center,
Lancaster, Pa.