Medical Ethics Lecture Notes

Medical ethics is a framework guiding healthcare professionals in decision-making and patient interactions, crucial for maintaining trust and accountability in care. It includes key principles such as autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, veracity, distributive justice, and proportionality.

Autonomy: Patients have the right to make decisions about their care based on informed consent, though challenges may arise from incompetence, incapacity, or threats to safety.
Paternalism: Involves making decisions for patients, emphasizing the need for open dialogue and respect for patient input.
Beneficence: Healthcare providers should act in the patient's best interest while respecting their autonomy.
Nonmaleficence: Providers must “do no harm” and assess risks before acting.
Veracity: Honesty is essential in patient communication, including full disclosure of medical information.
Distributive Justice: Focuses on fair allocation of healthcare resources, treating all patients equally regardless of background.
Proportionality: Ensures treatments are appropriate to the severity of the illness and the associated risks.