BONILLA, YLA KATRINA C.

BSN 2-2

Define the following ethical principles and give examples: 5 PTS EACH
1. AUTONOMY
 Autonomy is the state of being self-governing or having the ability to make one's
own decisions without the influence of others.
 Refers to the patient’s right to make decisions for themselves according to their
system of morals and beliefs.
 The right of patients to make decisions about their medical care without their
health care provider trying to influence the decision. Patient autonomy does allow
for health care providers to educate the patient but does not allow the health
care provider to make the decision for the patient.
Example:
Patient 25 years old presents with pain from a carious lesion on her right maxillary canine.
Nurse present her with a treatment plan to restore the tooth, but she adamantly denies the
treatment, saying she would rather have it extracted.

2. VERACITY
 It defined as being honest and telling the truth, requires that healthcare providers
be honest in their interactions with patients.
 The most important part of truth telling is revealing all pertinent details of a
patient's medical condition(s) to them, as well as the risk(s) and benefit(s) of a
procedure, and their prognosis (if known). It also includes informing a patient of
any mistakes that have been made in their care.
Example:
If a patient was starting chemotherapy and asked about the side effects, a nurse practicing
veracity would be honest about the side effects they could expect with chemotherapy.
3. BENEFICENCE
 It is defined as kindness and charity, which requires action on the part of the
nurse to benefit others.
 The obligation of physician to act for the benefit of the patient and supports a
number of moral rules to protect and defend the right of others, prevent harm,
 remove conditions that will cause harm, help persons with disabilities, and rescue
persons in danger.
Example:
A patient wishes to withdraw cancer treatment because he feels his quality of life is more
important than living longer. For this patient, it would be practicing beneficence for the nurse
to advocate for the patient and arrange for cancer treatment to be stopped.
4. NONMALEFICENCE
 This means that nurses must not harm intentionally. Nurses must provide a
standard of care that avoids risk or minimizes it related to medical competence.
Example:
If you see a patient collapse in a corridor you have a duty to provide (or seek) medical
attention to prevent injury.
Stopping a medication known to be harmful or refusing to give a medication to a patient if it
has not been proven to be effective.
5. JUSTICE
 Refers to a fair and equitable distribution of health resources.
 Nurses making impartial medical decisions demonstrate this, whether it relates to
limited resources or new treatments regardless of economic status, ethnicity,
sexual orientation, etc.
 Obligation to be fair to all people.
Example:
If you were juggling multiple patients, you would not provide better care based on who has
the best insurance.

6. FIDELITY
 Means nurses must remain true to professional promises, such as the promise to
provide high-quality, competent, safe, and efficient patient care. It also means
being supportive of patient decisions, promoting patient autonomy and the
furtherance of the profession.
 Obligation to be faithful to the agreements, commitments, and responsibilities
that one has made to oneself and others. It is the foundation of the concept of
accountability
Example:
A patient asks the nurse not to reveal the fact that she is dying or give her diagnosis to his
family.
A nurse who told their patient they were coming back in 30 minutes to check on their pain,
would either come back, or delegate somebody else to come back if they got tied up.

7. CONFIDENTIALITY
 Nurses have ethical and legal responsibilities to protect the confidentiality and
privacy of client's personal health information.
Example:
A nurse does not discuss the patient's case with the patient's family because the patient has
suggested that do not tell anyone, including his or her family.
Not responding to any telephone or email inquiries about patients unless the inquiring person
states a unique identifier for the patient such as a secret code number or word.
Differentiate and give specific examples: 5 PTS EACH
1. Autonomy from beneficence
 Health care providers must respect the patient's decision in autonomy; this
means that patients have the right to accept or reject recommendations for
medical care if they have appropriate decision-making capacity. In contrast,
healthcare providers must do what is best for the patient in beneficence;
healthcare providers must do what is best for the patient.
Example:
For example, if a nursing home patient falls and fractures his hip, a nurse should administer
pain medication to him as soon as possible. However, the patient refused to take the
medication because he does not like to be touched or disturbed.
2. Beneficence from nonmaleficence
 Beneficence refers to the act of helping others. Nonmaleficence is doing no harm.
Thus, the main difference between beneficence and nonmaleficence is that
beneficence prompts you to help others whereas nonmaleficence prompts you
not to harm others.
 Beneficence is the obligation to act in the best interest of the client regardless of
the self-interest of the health care provider. Nonmaleficence is the obligation “to
 do no harm” and requires that the health care provider not intentionally harm or
injure a client.

Example:
Beneficent actions involve rescuing a person from danger, encouraging a smoker to quit
smoking, and helping a homeless person. Non maleficent actions involve not giving a person
harmful drug, not saying hurtful things to another, and not encouraging someone to smoke
3. Equality from equity
 Equality means each individual or group of people is given the same resources or
opportunities. Equity recognizes that each person has different circumstances and
allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal
outcome.
Example:
A community center offering free or low-cost checkups to everyone. Health equity means that
people have opportunities based on their needs. An example could be the same health center
charging people based on their ability to pay.
4. CONFIDENTIALITY from privacy
 Confidentiality is an ethical duty; privacy is a right rooted in the common law.
 Privacy talks about a person, but Confidentiality is about information. Privacy
restricts the public from accessing the personal details about a person, whereas
Confidentiality protects the information from the range of unauthorized persons.
Example:
Patient can give any of the health professionals their consent to share their health
information, for example, when patient change doctors and they want the new doctor to have
access to the medical history. Patient also have a legal right to access your health information.
Then, the Doctor-patient medical discussions should generally occur in private, and a patient
might prefer that the doctor call their cell phone rather than home.