Autonomy

Autonomy is self-directing freedom and moral independence. It is an ethical principle holds that the autonomy of persons ought to be respected.

Health impact

Research on clinical autonomy from 6 studies conducted on nurses across the United States constructed the following definition:

“Autonomy is the freedom to act on what you know in the best interests of the patient … to make independent clinical decisions in the nursing sphere of practice and interdependent decisions in those spheres where nursing overlaps with other disciplines … It often exceeds standard practice, is facilitated through evidence-based practice, includes being held accountable in a constructive, positive manner, and nurse manager support.” [3]

References

1. (Bioethics Thesaurus)
2. Patient's autonomy and informed consent ICUS NURS WEB J │ ISSUE 13│JANUARY - MARCH 2003 (NURSING.GR)
3. Kramer M, Schmalenberg C. The Practice of Clinical Autonomy in Hospitals: 20 000 Nurses Tell Their Story. Crit Care Nurse. 2008; 28:58-71. Accessed from http://ccn.aacnjournals.org/cgi/content/28/6/58 on April 4, 2010