Which principle involves keeping commitments and being trustworthy to patients and colleagues?

• A. Beneficence
• B. Nonmaleficence
• C. Fidelity
• D. Autonomy

Answer: (C)

Keeping commitments and being trustworthy to patients and colleagues is fidelity. Fidelity means being loyal and reliable, keeping promises, honoring agreements, and protecting confidences. In practice, it’s about following through on what you say you’ll do for a patient, consistently meeting obligations, and acting in a trustworthy, honest manner with both patients and the care team. This trust is essential for effective care because patients are more open and engaged when they believe the nurse will keep commitments and protect their information, and colleagues work more effectively when they can rely on one another.

Beneficence is about promoting good and acting in the patient’s best interests; nonmaleficence is about avoiding harm; autonomy is about respecting a patient’s right to make their own decisions. Fidelity specifically targets the trustworthiness and reliability that underpins the patient-nurse relationship and professional teamwork.