A surgeon refused a patient's request to restart a patient's total parenteral nutrition (giving nutrition through the intravenous route)because he believed that a greater good would be achieved by not using medical resources to prolong the life of a terminally ill patient when the resources could be used for other patients.Which ethical theory best explains the surgeon's rationale?
A) Ethics of care
B) Utilitarianism
C) Deontology
D) Categorical imperative

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory that takes the position that the value of an action is determined by its usefulness.The surgeon believes that providing TPN to a terminally ill patient is useless,because it will not prevent her death,and furthermore that it does not achieve the "greater good." Other patients with a better prognosis would benefit from the TPN.An ethics of care is a nursing philosophy that directs attention to the specific situations of individual patients viewed within the context of their life narrative.Deontology considers an action to be right or wrong independent of its consequences.The surgeon is guided by the usefulness of the act,not one of duty.A categorical imperative is a principle,established by Immanuel Kant,that states that one should act only if the action is based on a principle that is universal.

A Surgeon Refused a Patient's Request to Restart a Patient's