Introduction to Biomedical Ethics After reading the text and the Belmont Report,

Question

Introduction to Biomedical Ethics

After reading the text and the Belmont Report, you have an introduction to the three basic ethical principles (Respect for Persons, Beneficence, Justice) often used to support administrative or clinical healthcare decisions. One of the most difficult tasks for the healthcare leader is when they are asked to make decisions; and there is conflict between the ethical principles.

1. Briefly review the three ethical principles and discuss how you might weigh each in your decision making process.

2. Are any of the principles “first among equals”?

3. In the modern healthcare environment, should we abandon any of the principles or significantly minimize their importance?

Explanation / Answer

The three ethical principles are described as under

I think the principle of beneficence is the first among equals. It considers providing healthcare to a suffering patient in need as the primary moral and ethical duty of a licensed healthcare provider. This is the basis that a suffering patient imposes unconditional trust in the practitioner.

Yes, in the modern healthcare environment and with advance of medical and biomedical technology and research, healthcare should be available to all. It should no longer remain a scare resource, for which the principle of justice could be employed for distribution of health care services. Therefore the principle of justice should be less important.

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