principles of healthcare ethics

Question 1

what are the 4 principles of biomedical ethics?

Answer 1

• respect for autonomy
• nonmaleficence
• beneficence
• justice

Question 2

What are the 2 aspects of the princicple of respect for autonomy?

Answer 2

• respect for autonomy- those who are capable for deliberation about their personal choices should be treated with respect
• protection of persons with impaired or diminished autonomy- which requires that those who are dependent or vulnerable be afforded against secuirty against harm or abuse

Question 3

what are the doctors/ health care teams main obligations?

Answer 3

• maintain patient confidentiality
• presume the capacity of the patient to consent / refuse treatment
• obligation to provide all the necessary information for informed consent
• the obligation to get consent / refusal prior to treatment

Question 4

what are important patients rights?

Answer 4

• the right to have ones medical info to be kept confidential
• the right to recieve all information nescessary for decision making
• the right to consent or refuse examination and procedures etc
• the right to self-determination, through choice and action ie to make an autonomous choice

Question 5

Describe the principle of beneficence

Answer 5

• requires that an agent takes positive steps to help others, not merely refrain from harmful acts
• moral obligation to act for the benefit of your patient
• attending to the patients welfare - not merely avoiding harm

Question 6

what is paternalism?

Answer 6

• the opposite of beneficence
• the intentional overriding of a patients preferneces by - manipulating information, nondisclosure (withholding) of info, lying etc
• the health care person will then justify this action by reference to the patients best interests etc

Question 7

what is the principle of nonmaleficence?

Answer 7

• hippocratic oath - using treatment to help the sick according to ability and judgement - but will never use it to injure or wrong them
• never injure or wrong the patients

Question 8

what is negligence?

Answer 8

intentional or unintentional harm to patients

Question 9

what is the principle of justice?

Answer 9

the obligation to provide** fair, equitable and appropriate treatment **to patients

Question 10

what are the strengths of the 4 principles?

Answer 10

• culturally neutral
• universal appeal - use a common language

Question 11

what are weaknesses of the 4 principles?

Answer 11

• claims and names - they are only a collection of names
• they fail to fapture the complexity of real life
  *

Question 12

what is the 4 question method?

Answer 12

1. what do we know? - all the clinical evidence
2. what do we want? in an ideal situation what would we want to do for this patient?
3. what are we able to do? what does the patient actually want? are there problems with resources?
4. what ought to be done? decision

Question 13

what is the 4 quadrant method?

Answer 13

• medical indications - diagnosis, prognosis, treatment options
• patient preferneces- capacity of decision making, full info for informed consent
• quality of life- return to normal life?
• contextual features - conflcts of interest? who decides?