Varkey B
Medical principles and practice : international journal of the Kuwait University, Health Scienc.... Date of publication 2021 Jan 1;volume 30(1):17-28.
1. Med Princ Pract. 2021;30(1):17-28. doi: 10.1159/000509119. Epub 2020 Jun 4.
Principles of Clinical Ethics and Their Application to Practice.
Varkey B(1).
Author information:
(1)The Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA,
basilvarkey@ymail.com.
An overview of ethics and clinical ethics is presented in this review. The 4 main
ethical principles, that is beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice,
are defined and explained. Informed consent, truth-telling, and confidentiality
spring from the principle of autonomy, and each of them is discussed. In patient
care situations, not infrequently, there are conflicts between ethical principles
(especially between beneficence and autonomy). A four-pronged systematic approach
to ethical problem-solving and several illustrative cases of conflicts are
presented. Comments following the cases highlight the ethical principles involved
and clarify the resolution of these conflicts. A model for patient care, with
caring as its central element, that integrates ethical aspects (intertwined with
professionalism) with clinical and technical expertise desired of a physician is
illustrated.
© 2020 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.
DOI: 10.1159/000509119
PMCID: PMC7923912
PMID: 32498071 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
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