This article is the first in a four-part series that explores the concepts of patient autonomy, privacy and informed consent in the context of the provision of nursing care. In this first article an overview of the concepts is provided, and some of the difficulties with definitions of these concepts are considered. The dearth of empirical exploration of the operationalization of the concepts of patient autonomy, privacy and informed consent within nursing practice is highlighted. The second, third and fourth articles report a series of empirical studies carried out with patients and staff in postnatal care, in continuing care of elderly people and in acute surgical care within Scottish NHS settings. These studies are part of a concerted effort to address the lack of empirical investigation of the ethical dimension of nursing care provision and clinical nursing practice.