To the Editors:

I enjoyed reading Lisa Day and Patricia Benner’s article, “Ethics, Ethical Comportment, and Etiquette” (January 2002:76–79), because it truly emphasizes the importance of etiquette and ethical issues in the workplace. So many times healthcare workers get caught up in their everyday work with patients and forget the importance of etiquette and ethics.

Although etiquette is sometimes referred to as a negative aspect of healthcare, it can bring about theories of ethics. For example, Day and Benner point out the importance of informed consent. This certainly enables the patient or guardian/family of that patient to choose the best option possible for the patient’s life. It is extremely important to identify all aspects of any procedure to the patient or the guardian/family of that patient, because someone’s life is in our hands. Therefore, I agree with Day and Benner when they state that informed consent is influenced culturally and...

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