Introduction

The codes of ethics guide actions for an appropriate professional practice. Colombian Law 911 of 2004 establishes the legal provisions on ethics for nursing practice and conceptualizes the performance of nursing care.

Objective

To determine how nurses see ethical responsibilities in professional practice and identify their relation with the service they provide and the institution they work at.

Materials and Methods

Cross-sectional study among nurses working in public and private institutions. Descriptive and stratified analyses were performed.

Results

A high percentage of nurses believe they always comply with the provisions of Section III. There was a statistically-significant relation between perception versus place of work in the items of respectful behavior, conscientious objection and clear nursing records, as well as, between perception versus services in the items of respectful behavior, location based on experience and training and completion of clear, sequential, and error-free records.

Discussion

The results of this study evidence the fundamental elements of ethical nursing care stated in the scientific literature.

Conclusions

Nursing practice involves a series of ethical responsibilities with the people in care that can vary depending on the context in which it is performed. This study found that the nursing records, conscientious objection, location based on experience and academic education are key factors of nursing practice related to the institution and service where nurses work.

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