August 29, 2019
October-November 2019

The Code of Conduct and you: Understanding principle 2

Asking yourself, “What’s best for the patient?” is a key part of principle 2 of the Code of Conduct.

Asking yourself, “What’s best for the patient?” is a key part of principle 2 of the Code of Conduct.

Patient-centred care is an essential component of health care. In patient-centred care, nurses consider patients’ individual needs and preferences, and ensure patients are active participants in all aspects of their health care decisions.

While it is up to the patient to determine what course of action they will take, it’s critical the patient is fully informed and understands the procedures or care they are about to receive.

In principle 2 of the Code, nurses help patients by providing clear and timely information and talking to them in ways they understand. It is important to make patients as knowledgeable and comfortable as possible. If a patient doesn’t understand what is happening, or is uncertain or unhappy with the care they are receiving, nurses respond by working with patients to resolve their concerns.

There may be occasions where there are delays or gaps affecting patient care. When this happens, it is important for nurses to explain the reasons for these delays.

When nurses keep patients at the centre of their health care journey and support them at every step of the way, the therapeutic nurse-patient relationship benefits. There is also a lasting positive outcome on their patient experience.

Understanding the Code

Watch our webcast to learn how the Code of Conduct applies to situations you may encounter in your everyday practice.

If you have questions about the Code or how it applies to your nursing practice, just ask us!

About CNO

The College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) is the regulator of the nursing profession in Ontario. It is not a school or a nursing association. CNO acts in the public interest by:

  • assessing qualifications and registering individuals who want to practice nursing in Ontario.
  • setting the practice standards of the profession that nurses in Ontario are expected to meet.
  • promoting nurses' continuing competence through a quality assurance program.
  • holding nurses accountable to those standards by addressing complaints or reports about nursing care.

The College was founded in 1963. By establishing the College, the Ontario government was acknowledging that the nursing profession had the ability to govern itself and put the public's well-being ahead of professional interests.

For the latest information, please see our Nursing Statistics page.

Anyone who wants to use a nursing-related title — Registered Nurse (RN), Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) or Nurse Practitioner (NP) must become a member of CNO.

Frequently Asked Questions

Go to the public Register, Find a Nurse, to conduct a search for the nurse. Contact us if you can't find the person you are looking for.

All public information available about nurses is posted in the public Register, Find a Nurse, which contains profiles of every nurse in Ontario. Publicly available information about nurses include their registration history, business address, and information related to pending disciplinary hearings or past findings.

Unregistered practitioners are people who are seeking employment in nursing or holding themselves out as being able to practice nursing in Ontario, but who are not qualified to do so. They are not registered members of CNO. Only people registered with CNO can use nursing-related titles or perform certain procedures that could cause harm if carried out by a non-registered health professional. CNO takes the issue of unregistered practitioners seriously. See Unregistered Practitioners for more information.

To ensure procedural fairness for both the patient (or client) and the nurse, the Regulated Health Professions Act requires that information gathered during an investigation remain confidential until the matter is referred to the Discipline Committee or Fitness to Practise Committee. CNO will not disclose any information that could identify patients (or clients) or compromise an investigation. See Investigations: A Process Guide for more information.

Information obtained during an investigation will become public if the matter is referred to a disciplinary hearing. If a complaint is not referred to a hearing, no information will be available publicly.

See CNO's hearings schedule, which is updated as hearing dates are confirmed. Hearings at CNO are open to the public and the media. For details on how to attend a hearing, contact the Hearings Administration Team.

A summary of allegations and the disciplinary panel outcomes can be found on the public Register, Find a Nurse. Full decisions and reasons are also available.

Where a disciplinary panel makes a finding of professional misconduct, they have the authority to reprimand a nurse, and suspend or revoke a nurse's registration. Terms, conditions and limitations can also be imposed on a nurse's registration, which restricts their practice for a set period. Nurses can also be required to complete remedial activities, such as reviewing CNO documents and meeting with an expert, before returning to practice.

For detailed information see the Sexual Abuse Prevention section.

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