the 4 pillars of medical ethics

what are the 4 pillars of medical ethics?

1. beneficence

2. non-maleficence

3. autonomy

4. justice

what is beneficence?

doing good

what is non-maleficence?

doing no harm

what is autonomy?

giving patients the freedom to choose freely, where they are able to

what is justice?

ensuring fairness/ensuring the same standards of care for all patients

what age do you have to be to consent to medical treatment?

16 and over

example of beneficence

missing out on a meeting with a friend and staying an extra hour to ensure patients are safe until a colleague can take over

example of non-maleficence

do not prescribe antibiotics for a viral infection as the patient will not benefit and may be at risk of developing resistance in the future due to inappropriate usage

example of autonomy

giving a patient all the necessary information to make a decision, e.g. the benefits and risks of a surgery, and then respecting their decision

example of justice

learning how different skin conditions present on every skin colour to esnure patients of different races do not receive different standards of care