Public Health Nursing, Ethics and Human Rights

Public health nursing has a code of ethics that guides practice. This includes the A merican N urses A ssociation C ode of E thics for N urses , P rinciples of the E thical P ractice of P ublic H ealth , and the Scope and S tandards of P ublic H ealth N ursing . Human rights and Rights‐based care in public health nursing practice are relatively new. They reflect human rights principles as outlined in the U niversal D eclaration of H uman R ights and applied to public health practice. As our health care system is restructured and there are new advances in technology and genetics, a focus on providing care that is ethical and respects human rights is needed. Public health nurses can be in the forefront of providing care that reflects an ethical base and a rights‐based approach to practice with populations.