Table 1 Grid of Nursing Code of Conduct data analysis: Approach, main categories, subcategories and descriptions

Mandatory Ethics

Rules

Entailing legal implications

These rules and their exceptions refer to the minimum expectations from practitioners. They are held ethically or legally blameworthy for failing to uphold these rules, but not perceived as praiseworthy for doing so

Entailing disciplinary implications

Specific Exceptions

Descriptive of cases where diversion from a rule is required

Aspirational Ethics

Unspecific Exceptions

Appeal to the practitioner’s moral competence

In contrast to specific exceptions, this type of exception usually demands that practitioners use moral judgment and make up their own exceptions, according to each situation

Incentives

Related to actions: what would be good for the practitioner to do (skills)

Here lies the main problem with aspirational ethics, in the sense that these supererogatory actions may be too demanding

Related to virtues: what the practitioner’s character should be (attitudes)

In other words, perceived characteristics of the ideal practitioner that may or may not be realistically attainable