ABSTRACT

This study aimed to analyse the current knowledge structure of publications on nursing ethics and determine the developmental process through a bibliometric analysis. This is a retrospective descriptive study. Data were gathered on September 26, 2022, from the Web of Science (WoS) and analysed using Excel and VOSviewer programs. Studies were searched by title using the following descriptors: “nurse” and “ethics”. A total of 467 studies published between 1977 and 2021 and authored by 785 individuals were examined. Approximately 73.6% of these publications were original articles, and a significant majority (95.1%) were published in English. Studies were from 52 countries and 99 distinct journals. Leading the pack in terms of productivity was the United States (n= 154). The primary keywords utilized across these studies included “ethics,” “nursing,” “nursing ethics,” “code of ethics,” and “education.” Moreover, the emergence of “COVID-19” as a prevalent keyword was observed in studies published from 2020 onwards. Nursing spans a wide array of topics, with a significant focus on imparting ethical values, a subject extensively deliberated within the realm of scientific literature. This study gives an idea about the performance of research and publications on nursing ethics. Ethics principles are essential in providing quality care, in addition to being fundamental for the appreciation of the nursing profession. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new ethical dilemmas to the nursing profession. As nursing ethics will never be a saturated or outdated topic, it is important to encourage research on ethics in the field of nursing.