Welcome back! In this video, we'll talk about the ethical principle of beneficence. It simply means that the treating physician must do what's best for the patient.
The physician has to stay updated and follow the clinical guidelines, but they also have to know when not to follow the guidelines, as some treatments are beneficial for one patient but not for another. In other words, doing what's in the patient's best interest, the beneficence principle often collides with the autonomy principle, as the patient's autonomy can prevent the physician from delivering the best judgment. For example, if an elderly patient is living on her own and she falls in the shower and breaks her hip, she then comes to the ER.
The ER doctor explains that the patient must be immediately taken to surgery for a hip replacement. Now, the patient can refuse the surgery based on her autonomy, and this affects the beneficence principle. So, in this case, the physician has to go with the second-best option in the patient's interest, which is providing analgesia—essentially, taking the pain away.
Again, this is not ideal, but it's in the patient's best interest to follow the beneficence ethical principle. A healthcare worker must consider the patient's individual circumstances, stay updated on the latest guidelines, follow these guidelines, and maintain a high level of skills and knowledge. Here's a small quiz: Try to identify whether or not the physician in this scenario practiced beneficence.
[Music] All right, guys, that's all I have. Thank you so much for watching, and hopefully, this helps you!
