The development and revision of codes of ethics for nurses is not for the faint hearted. It is challenging to address a wide variety of areas of practice and to reconcile competing interests. Furthermore, in many countries health professions are under increased scrutiny by the governments that delegated formal authority to them (i.e. to professional colleges or associations) for licensure. Among the health professions the nursing profession seems to feel most vulnerable. This sense of vulnerability can lead to some degree of goal displacement in the development of a code of ethics, in which attention to ethics is minimized and replaced by a greater focus on rules. Rule orientated statements are perceived to be better tools for assessment in professional conduct hearings, thereby allowing nurses to 'police' themselves.
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