Question

Beauchamp and Childress proposed a method of making ethical decisions in medicine based upon the balancing of four imperatives- Beneficence, Non-maleficence, Autonomy, and Justice. Define the four terms and discuss how they might be considered in epidemiological studies. Give an example.

Answer 1

Ethical principles are based on the following four pillars which define how a person required to be treated while carrying out any procedure. These four terms are defined as follows:

1. Beneficence: this is the duty of the practitioner to ‘do good’. The practitioner has to only perform those procedures which would do good to the patient.
2. Non maleficence: this is the duty to ‘not do bad’. The practitioner has to take care that any procedure performed by him should not be harming the patient in any manner.
3. Autonomy: the desicion of the client or the patient has to be respected. The patient requires to know the processes that are being carried upon him and he has the right to either accept or reject those procedures. This decision has to be respected by the practitioner.
4. Justice: it is important that the practitioner has to treat every patient with the dignity that they deserve. Every patient has to be treated equally and equitably.