A 19-year-old man is seriously injured in a multi-car accident on a busy highway. He was driving a motorcycle when a car changed lanes unexpectedly and hit him. He lost control and slid under an oncoming truck. The patient is unresponsive when paramedics arrive on the scene. They provide initial stabilization of the patient and transport him to the nearest emergency department. At the hospital, health care providers continue aggressive, life-saving measures, including endotracheal intubation with mechanical ventilation, even though the unconscious patient is not able to give consent. They also work tirelessly to control the patient's hemorrhaging. In providing these interventions, the physicians involved are most readily applying which of the following ethical principles of medicine?

Question

A 19-year-old man is seriously injured in a multi-car accident on a busy highway.  He was driving a motorcycle when a car changed lanes unexpectedly and hit him.  He lost control and slid under an oncoming truck.  The patient is unresponsive when paramedics arrive on the scene.  They provide initial stabilization of the patient and transport him to the nearest emergency department.  At the hospital, health care providers continue aggressive, life-saving measures, including endotracheal intubation with mechanical ventilation, even though the unconscious patient is not able to give consent.  They also work tirelessly to control the patient's hemorrhaging.  In providing these interventions, the physicians involved are most readily applying which of the following ethical principles of medicine?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Explanation: The general meaning of beneficence is described as the duty of physicians to be of benefit to patients. For instance, if a patient is incapacitated by a serious accident or illness, the assumption is that a reasonable person would want to be treated aggressively. Therefore, physicians can provide "beneficent" interventions such as resuscitation and other emergency care. (Choice A) Applied to health care settings, the principle of autonomy is the basis for informed consent. A patient who has decision-making capacity can accept or decline treatment, regardless of beneficial intent. This patient is unresponsive and so does not have capacity. (Choice C) Integrity is a professional characteristic that physicians are expected to possess, though it is not considered 1 of the 4 basic medical ethics principles. The term refers to a personal commitment to honesty and to maintaining moral and ethical principles. While integrity guides the application of ethical principles, it is not directly illustrated by the case presented above. (Choice D) Justice, as applied to health care settings, is generally defined as fairness in deciding who gets scarce resources (eg, health care services) or goods (eg, certain pharmaceutical agents). (Choice E) The principle of nonmaleficence is often summarized as "do no harm," and refers to not taking actions with respect to a patient that may be harmful or of doubtful benefit. Beneficence - providing beneficial interventions to a patient - and nonmaleficence - not providing harmful interventions or interventions of dubious benefit - are complementary principles. But in the scenario presented, actively providing emergency services would be considered an example of beneficence. Educational objective: Physicians are expected to adhere to standards and basic principles of medical ethics. Among these basic principles is beneficence, which refers to actively engaging in actions that are beneficial to patients.

A 19-Year-Old Man Is Seriously Injured in a Multi-Car Accident