MEDICAL ETHICS
Dr. Abhishek Karn
Dept. of Forensic Medicine
& Toxicology
·
Medical service is the most humane of all the
services to humanity.
· Ethics is the understanding
of moral values.
· Medical ethics is a system of moral
principles that apply values and judgments to the practice of medicine. It deals
with the moral principles which should guide members of the medical profession
in their dealings with each other, their patients and the State.
· A common framework used in
the analysis of medical ethics is the "4 principles" approach postulated
by Tom Beauchamp and James Childress which are to be judged and weighed against
each other, with attention given to the scope of their application.
· The 4 principles are:
1.
Respect for autonomy - the patient has the right to
refuse or choose their treatment.
2.
Beneficence - a practitioner should act in the best
interest of the patient.
3.
Non-maleficence - "first, do no harm"
4. Justice - concerns the distribution of scarce health
resources, and the decision of who gets what treatment (fairness and equality).
Other values that are
sometimes discussed include:
1.
Respect for persons - the patient (and the person
treating the patient) have the right to be treated with dignity.
2.
Truthfulness and honesty - (Informed Consent--refers
to the idea that a person must be fully informed about and understand the
potential benefits and risks of their choice of treatment. An uninformed person
is at risk of mistakenly making a choice not reflective of his or her values or
wishes. It does not specifically mean the process of obtaining consent, or the
specific legal requirements, which vary from place to place, for capacity to
consent. Patients can elect to make their own medical decisions, or can
delegate decision-making authority to another party. The value of informed
consent is closely related to the values of autonomy and truth telling.
