In nursing ethics, fidelity refers to which concept?

• A. Veracity
• B. Autonomy
• C. Beneficence
• D. The obligation to be trustworthy and maintain confidentiality and promises

Answer: (D)

Fidelity means being faithful to your professional obligations by being trustworthy and honoring commitments, including protecting patient confidentiality. In practice this is about keeping promises you make to patients and colleagues and handling information with discretion. Maintaining confidentiality and following through on stated commitments builds trust in the nurse–patient relationship and supports ethical care. Veracity is about truth-telling, autonomy is about respecting patient self-determination, and beneficence is about acting in the patient’s best interest to promote well-being. For example, if you promise a patient you’ll call with test results by end of shift, you do so, and you only share information with individuals who are authorized to receive it.