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Medical Ethics-Principles

The four basic principles of medical ethics are autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. Autonomy refers to a patient's right to direct what happens to their own body and make informed healthcare decisions. Beneficence means healthcare providers should act in the patient's best interest. Non-maleficence means "first, do no harm." Justice concerns fair distribution of healthcare resources. These principles guide ethical patient care and help resolve complex issues around informed consent, medical necessity, and allocation of scarce resources.

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Troeeta Bhuniya
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308 views20 pages

Medical Ethics-Principles

The four basic principles of medical ethics are autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. Autonomy refers to a patient's right to direct what happens to their own body and make informed healthcare decisions. Beneficence means healthcare providers should act in the patient's best interest. Non-maleficence means "first, do no harm." Justice concerns fair distribution of healthcare resources. These principles guide ethical patient care and help resolve complex issues around informed consent, medical necessity, and allocation of scarce resources.

Uploaded by

Troeeta Bhuniya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Medical ethics

Introduction to basic principles


Ethics are not …
Ethics are …
Historically
Four basic Principles of Medical
Ethics
Autonomy
• Patient has freedom of thought,
intention and action when making
decisions regarding health care
procedures
• For a patient to make a fully informed
decision, she/he must understand all
risks and benefits of the procedure
and the likelihood of success.
contd...
• Always respect the autonomy of the
patient - then the particular patient is
free to choose
• Such respect is not simply a matter of
attitude, but a way of acting so as to
recognize and even promote the
autonomous actions of the patient.
• The autonomous person may freely
choose loyalties or systems of religious
belief that may adversely affect him
contd...
• The patient must be informed clearly
the consequences of his action that
may affect him adversely.

• Desiring to "benefit" the patient, the


physician may strongly want to
intervene believing it to be a clear
"medical benefit." The physician has a
duty to respect the autonomous choice
of the patient, as well as a duty to avoid
harm and to provide a medical benefit.
• But the physician should give greater
priority to the respect for patient
autonomy than to the other duties.

• However, at times this can be difficult


because it can conflict with the
paternalistic attitude of many health
care professionals.
contd...
• In the case of a child, the principle of
avoiding the harm of death, and the
principle of providing a medical benefit
that can restore the child to health and
life, would be given precedence over
the autonomy of the child's parents as
surrogate decision makers.
Beneficence

• The practitioner should act in “the


best interest” of the patient - the
procedure be provided with the
intent of doing good to the patient
contd...

• This needs health care provider to,


- develop and maintain skills
and knowledge by continually
updating training
- consider individual
circumstances of all patients
Non maleficence
• “Above all, do no harm,“ – Make
sure that the procedure does not
harm the patient or others in
society
contd...
• When interventions undertaken by
physicians create a positive
outcome while also potentially
doing harm it is known as the
"double effect."

Eg,. the use of morphine in the dying


patient. eases pain and suffering while
hastening the demise through
suppression of the respiratory drive
contd...
• Physicians are obligated not to
prescribe medications they know to
be harmful.
• Some interpret this value to exclude
the practice of euthanasia
• Violation of non-maleficence is the
subject of medical malpractice
litigation
Medical malpractice
• An act or omission by a health care
provider that deviates from
accepted standards of practice in
the medical community which
causes injury to the patient.
Justice
• The distribution of scarce health
resources, and the decision of who
gets what treatment “fairness and
equality”
• The burdens and benefits of new
or experimental treatments must
be distributed equally among all
groups in society
contd...
• The four main areas that Health care
provider must consider when
evaluating justice
1. Fair distribution of scarce
resources
2. Competing needs
3. Rights and obligations
4. Potential conflicts with
established legislations

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