Page 20 - Ethics and Law

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Beneficence

▪ To act beneficently toward others is to behave in such a way as to “do good” on
behalf of, or to benefit, someone other than oneself.

o which health care professionals serve their patients by helping them to maintain
or improve their health status, health care professionals can be said, to the

same extent, to be acting beneficently toward the patients they serve.

▪ Respect for patient autonomy and the practice of beneficent medical care can be

considered to be mutually complementary.

o despite the complementary nature of the ethical principle of autonomy and that

of beneficence, it is not uncommon for these two ethical principles to conflict

one with the other