Nursing Code of Ethics in Islam

[MuslimDoc]

The holiness of the Nursing Code of Ethics in Islam is derived from this verse in the Holy Qur’an in which Allah says;
“If anyone has saved a life, it would be as if he has saved the life of the whole of mankind” (Al-Ma’idah 5:32).
But the reader might wonder; why is it if anyone has saved a life, it would be as if he has saved the life of the whole of mankind.
People might ask themselves why The Lord in Qur’an gives so much protection and holiness even to one life.
In fact, the human life is so important for The Lord as he breathed it into us from his own soul; and that because of it we are alive; and without it we die and we turn back to be mud again.

The coming verses explain that;
“And (remember) when your Lord said to the angels: "I am going to create a man (Adam) from sounding clay of altered black smooth mud * So, when I have fashioned him completely and breathed into him (Adam) the soul which I created for him, then fall (you) down prostrating yourselves unto him * So, the angels prostrated themselves, all of them together” (15: 28- 30).
The above verses of Qur’an explains how The Lord created our bodies from the materialistic realm which is mud. Till that point, The Lord did not order his angles to prostrate themselves to us. In fact the prostration of angles to us was only after The Lord breathed into us from his own soul and endowed us our lives, Muslims and non-Muslims.

That is to say, our holiness is only due to the soul of God inside all of us regardless of our religions and our materialistic differences. The Lord’s Soul added to us the spiritual realm.

Muslim nurses must understand this important part of their creed and think about the holiness of their patients’ souls and bodies. This is the most important Nursing Code of Ethics in Islam. It is because of this Soul we exist at this very moment and when The Lord takes it from us we die.

Islam urges Muslim nurses to respect this Soul that The Lord breathed in their patients. They must treat their patients with compassion and mercy regardless to their patient’s religion, creed, race, color, gender and financial situation.
The Lord addresses His Prophet (PBUH) in the Qur’an by saying;
“And by the Mercy of Allâh, you dealt with them gently. And had you been severe and harsh hearted, they would have broken away from about you”. (Aali Imran 3:159).
The Lord also says about himself in the Qur’an; “He has prescribed Mercy for Himself”. (Alan’am 6:12)
These two verses set a model for Muslim nurses and urge them to be compassionate and merciful with their patients by following the footsteps of their Lord and Prophet and that they must firmly establish their Ethics on the laws of Islam. They must be very merciful
and compassionate with their patients, happy with their profession and proud of their noble service they offer. They must hold a great deal of dignity, self-esteem, self-respect and sense of honor towards themselves and towards their profession. Their behavior should be a good example for the rest of the society. These are certainly important ethics of Muslim nurses.
MuslimDoc

[Pharmacist]

I like the way you presented this topic & I would like to add that in Islam nurses should take a greater part in the health welfare
of their countries through public awareness, health campaigns and NGOs.

Nurses should educate people about safety and health management, design health programs for people’s health and teach people how to manage hazards.

They should also study the relationship between people’s health and the social outputs of economic activities and how to control
all that towards the development of healthy societies.

It is true that we have accumulated more wealth comparing to our descendants but that was on the expense of our health.

It is obvious that we tend to forget the sanctity of ourselves and the holiness of our health causing undesirable heavy burden on the already burdened nursing profession; just remember that patients are the target group of nurses.

If you are a nurse, I really respect  you....
Real Pharmacist

[MuslimDoc]

Thanks pharmacist for your interest
I agree with you that nurses are the heartbeat of health care
MuslimDoc

[Ikram]

 I most say that is a very nice speech and hope that it is an advice that is taken seriously. I totally believe in what you say and one of the hardest thing to see as a nurse is a lonely patient who has nobody compassionate enough to come and visit them when they most need it. Our religion is a blessing and totally our guidance. Simple and practical. It is a the Sunnah of our Beloved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to visit the sick. We should always visit those who are sick because it helps us to reflect and take heed, as those who are ill are close to Allah Ta'ala.


Ikram

[Sandybrosto]

Muslim women prefer to have same gender doctors and nurses in order to follow rules of modesty in regard to the opposite sex. Related to this, Muslim women cover their head and body in various Islamic coverings (Hijab), according to the custom of their country of origin. To show respect, healthcare workers should ask a Muslim woman for permission to uncover parts of her body for injection, or for any other medical reasons. It is helpful to have a sign on female Muslim patients' door asking the staff to knock first before entering. This will provide them a few seconds to put on their Hijab. Additionally, it is helpful to provide a sign requesting that medical staff return in a few minutes in order to give female patients enough time and privacy to perform their daily prayers.

[PrincessMuni]

Sandobrosto, I work in hospital in kuwait, which is muslim country and  to be honest with you female patients prefer male doctors,
lets say its trust issues, females trust male doctors more than female doctors, that I noticed... and about knocking doors we always do that because if you put your self in their position, you pay for privacy, you cant just inter rooms... as for general rooms, there are no doors, curtain only and appearently you cant knock a curtain so "clearing your throat" or even calling patient's names sounds best option to give them privacy.
more importantly, when doctors do round or wants to see the patient, we should go with them or every staff tells her patients drs will come for round, then its up to them to either cover or get ready.

[Bhersi]

I used to work as Registered Nurse one of the busiest hospital here in Australia and I some times teach and give lectures Nursing student  before I decided to change a career and become Public Health Officer. One of the reasons I changed from nursing to public health was that I do not have to choose between  looking after male pt of female pt. the reality is when you working Emergency Department most of the pt do not have choice bcz of their condition. It is true that  many women prefer male Dr bcz of believing male Dr  will give better treatment.

I would appreciate if we can have some discussion regarding to what we can contribute Hospitals in Somalia or if any one have direct contact “ my specialty now is infection control policies which is big issue in public health


Bhersi

Salaam