Medical Ethics Flashcards
Emily
Importance of ethical reasoning (3 levels)
- Individual (e.g. time w patient)
- Community/national (e.g. resource allocation)
- International (e.g. global health, crossing boundaries)
The role of the GMC
- Protect patients
- Improve UK medical education
- Manage the medical register
- Maintain standards for doctors
4 domains of the Duties of a Doctor
- Knowledge, skills and performance
- Safety and quality
- Communication, partnership and trust
- Maintaining trust
Doctor’s first concern
Care of patient
Consequentialism
A right action promotes the best circumstances
Consequentialism shortcomings
- Actions that lead to the best circumstances might seem wrong
- Some individuals might be treated unjustly
Deontology
A right action is in accord w a moral rule/principle
Deontology shortcomings
- Consequences matter
- How do we decide on duties and their hierarchy?
Virtue Ethics
A right action is what a virtuous agent would do
Virtue Ethics shortcomings
- How do you decide virtues?
- May be culturally specific
3 other ethical theories
- Feminist ethics
- Narrative ethics
- Rights theory
Respect for autonomy
Respecting that a competent informed adult can make their own decisions
- Confidentiality, informed consent
Beneficence
The obligation to act in a way to benefit the patient
- e.g. blood transfusions
Non-maleficence
Don’t act in a way to cause harm to your patient
Justice
Fairness –> both in time and treatments
Equivalent needs get equivalent access to appropriate care
Distributive justice
Must try to distribute limited resources fairly
Doctrine of Double Effect
It is permissible to cause harm through a beneficial effect
Doctrine of double effect 4 Criteria?
1) action must be good, independent of circumstances
2) the agent must only intend the good effect
3) the bad effect must not be a means to the good effect
4) the good effect must compensate for the bad effect
Example of the Doctrine of double effect?
Giving pain medication to ease suffering, even though it may accelerate patient’s death
