PHI-413V Topic 3 DQ 1

The four principles of biomedical ethics, especially in the context of bioethics in the United States, have often been critiqued for raising the principle of autonomy to the highest place, such that it trumps all other principles or values. Based on your worldview, how do you rank the importance of each of the four principles in order to protect the health and safety of diverse populations?
Initial discussion question posts should be a minimum of 200 words and include at least two references cited using APA format. Responses to peers or faculty should be 100-150 words and include one reference. Refer to the “Discussion Question Rubric” and “Participation Rubric,” located in Class Resources, to understand the expectations for initial discussion question posts and participation posts, respectively.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education
This assignment aligns with AACN Core Competencies: 3.1

Solution

Biomedical ethics examines the moral implications of decisions and actions in the fields of medicine, and healthcare. (Varkey, 2020). It seeks to provide a framework for ethical decision-making in situations where medical interventions, research, or other healthcare practices raise moral questions. The key principles are autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice. Autonomy is the respect for a person’s right to make informed decisions about their health and the care they are to receive. These principles are interconnected and rely on each other to work therefore it is difficult to rank them. For example an individual may want to be done for euthanasia which is illegal. Due to the reasoning that she has autonomy, this may lead her to the belief that it is possible. On the other hand the principle of beneficence encourages us to do good to promote the patient’s well-being part of which include ensuring the patient’s safety. From the above example, it shows that they work together to improve care but all are important and none should be given superiority over the other. Each situation will determine if we need to use all four of them or a particular one. The bottom line is they should all be applied equally to everyone to ensure fairness and avoid harm. “Principles also can come into conflict with each other, which is the most common source of ethical dilemmas in health care.” (Bogue, 2022).

Reference

Bogue, D. W., Jr, M. C., Torre, V. J. D. L., Evans, K. A., Hoehner, P. J., Hogan M., White, N. H. (2022). Practicing Dignity: An Introduction to Christian Values and Decision-Making in Health Care. Grand Canyon University. https://bibliu.com/app/?bibliuMagicToken=EEeDwFqQXKfHsFDmZ9CRjZxvEPgug6FY#/view/books/B1B4SGSSID7LR/epub/Chapter2.html#page_170

Varkey, B. (2020). Principles of Clinical Ethics and Their Application to Practice. Medical Principles and Practice, 30(1), 17–28. https://doi.org/10.1159/000509119

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