The barriers of failure to meet the codes of professional ethics from viewpoints of nursing staff in Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran in 2011

BACKGROUND: Compliance with nursing ethics leads to improvement in nursing care. Therefore, this study carried out to determine the barriers of failure to meet the codes of nursing ethics from the viewpoint of nursing staff. METHODS: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted on 138 nursing staff in Tehran University of Medical Sciences (Tehran, Iran) by random sampling method using a demographic questionnaire. RESULTS: 50% of the barriers of failure in meeting with codes of professional ethics were contributed to management, 25.4% to environmental aspect, and 24.6% to individual care. Results indicated that there was no statistically significant difference between the demographic variables and the barriers of failure to meet the codes of professional ethics. CONCLUSION: Given the management, as the most important barrier, it is suggested to enhance the awareness and knowledge of nursing ethics in nurses.