The ANA code of nursing ethics articulates that the nurse promotes, advocates for, and strives to protect the health, safety, and rights of the patient. This includes the protection of patient privacy. On that basis, which elements are included in protecting patients according to the code?

• A. Health, safety, and rights
• B. Only health
• C. Only privacy
• D. Financial protection

Answer: (A)

The central idea is that protecting patients, as the ANA Code of Ethics requires, means safeguarding their health, ensuring their safety, and upholding their rights. Privacy is a component of patient rights, emphasizing confidentiality and autonomy. So the elements included are health, safety, and rights. Privacy is encompassed within rights, reinforcing that protecting a patient’s personal information is part of upholding their dignity and autonomy. The other options are incomplete because health alone misses safety and rights, privacy alone misses health and broader rights, and financial protection isn’t the focus of this protection framework.