Study design, materials and methods
A comprehensive literature review was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar databases between 2018–2025 using the keywords ‘urogynecology nursing’, ‘ethics’, and related concepts.
Interpretation of results
Ethical codes and standards in nursing are highly important in terms of nursing roles and the quality of care. The literature review shows that ethical problems in urogynecology nursing are not limited to clinical practices but also encompass multidimensional issues such as maintaining patient privacy, ensuring an effective informed consent process, demonstrating sensitivity to cultural differences, and balancing patient autonomy with safety. Adapting professional ethical principles into nursing practice enables urogynecology nurses to ensure that the care process is safe, respectful, holistic, and scientifically grounded, thereby contributing to the protection of patient rights and the improvement of care quality.
Nurses play an advocacy role for patient rights during these processes and actively contribute to ethical decision-making within multidisciplinary teams. Additionally, it is emphasized that maintaining ethical principles during crisis periods (e.g., pandemic conditions) is critical for both patient safety and care quality. These findings indicate that increasing ethical awareness in urogynecology nursing is a fundamental requirement for fulfilling professional responsibilities and strengthening patient-centered care. Strengthening ethical decision-making supports nurses in resolving clinical dilemmas more effectively, analyzing patient expectations accurately, and establishing a trust-based nurse–patient relationship. In this context, ethical awareness is not only an individual responsibility but also a professional necessity that must be supported institutionally. The systematic application of ethical principles not only enhances the quality of nursing care but also contributes to the standardization and sustainability of urogynecology services.
Concluding message
Maintaining ethical principles in urogynecology nursing is essential for ensuring patient safety, improving care quality, and fulfilling professional nursing responsibilities effectively. Adhering to ethical principles enables the meticulous protection of privacy, transparent and comprehensible informed consent processes, culturally sensitive approaches, and the support of patient autonomy. Increasing ethical awareness in urogynecology nursing is critically important for sustaining patient-centered care and delivering high-quality healthcare services.