Every ten years the American Nurses Association revises the Code of Ethics for Nurses to stay up to date with current trends, challenges and ethical dilemmas facing the nursing profession. Once the panel has gone through the process of meticulously developing the revisions, commenting is opened to the public. The 2025 Revisions to the Code is now open to comments through July 31.
The past ten years have seen some drastic and rapid developments in the way that nurses have had to meet ethical challenges and provide quality care. The COVID pandemic of course is but one such event that caused a multitude of ethical dilemmas and quality of care challenges for several years of this past decade. For reference you can view and read the last revised Code of Ethics for Nurses (2015) on the ANA website.
Updating the Code of Ethics
A panel of experts composed the 49 member board to consider the 2025 Code of Ethics. This panel was made up of nurses and nurse ethicists from all around the nation who provided insight and perspectives from a variety of practice settings, geographic locations and multiple levels of experience and expertise.The panel took into consideration core values of the nursing profession, and the ethical challenges nurses face in caring for patients in light of unequal treatment of people because of such things as social status, wealth or poverty, racism, language, and education levels. Other factors considered included advances in technology, safety in the workplace, and advances in disease treatment and prognosis.
Comment Period is Open
The ANA seeks input from nurses to ensure the 2025
Code of Ethics for Nurses continues to be relevant and meet the needs of nurses in providing ethical practice standards. Comments can be made through July 31, 2024, by visiting 2025 Code of Ethics for Nurses at Nursingworld.org. Please add your point of view to the code. The 2025 Code of Ethics for Nurses will be published in January 2025.