n. one of the *four principles and common to many theories of medical ethics: doctors should avoid causing harm to patients (see primum non nocere). As almost all medical interventions carry some risk of harm, however small, in practice a doctor should avoid risking unnecessary harm or any harm that is disproportionate to the benefit intended. Consequently, risks should be minimized and considered along with the intended benefits when evaluating specific interventions. Harm can include psychological, emotional, or social harm as well as physical damage. Compare beneficence.
n. doing good: one of the *four principles of medical ethics. The obligation to act in patients’ *best interests at all times is recognized in ancient and modern codes of professional conduct, e.g. the *Hippocratic oath. Benefits in health care, and therefore beneficence, must commonly be balanced against risks or harms (i.e. *nonmaleficence). The courts have been clear that beneficence extends beyond medical interests. Respect for *autonomy requires that professionals determine what the patient considers to be doing good in any given situation.... beneficence
n. taking unfair advantage of another’s misfortune, weakness, or *vulnerability. In medical ethics, the principle of *nonmaleficence means that doctors have an active duty to avoid any exploitation of their patients. This is usually held to require that professional boundaries are maintained and to prohibit personal or sexual relationships between professionals and their patients. Another example of potential exploitation is the practice of holding clinical trials and conducting research in developing countries when the treatments being tested are designed for sale and use in the West and will not be made available to those who acted as research participants or subjects.... exploitation
an approach to medical ethics, proposed by Tom Beauchamp and James F. Childress, that identifies four basic tenets of ethical practice, namely: respect for *autonomy, *beneficence, *nonmaleficence, and *justice. Although the four principles are often used as a framework for decision-making in Western medical ethics, there may be problems when principles conflict or their application is contested in practice.... four principles
n. physical, mental, or moral damage or the threat of this. Avoiding it is one of the ethical *four principles known as *nonmaleficence. Although health service staff have a clear duty to benefit patients and avoid harming them, in practice almost all medical actions run the risk of harming the patient and in some no good effect can be achieved without a clearly harmful process (such as mastectomy or chemotherapy for breast cancer). Therefore all medical professionals should learn how to make a *risk–benefit analysis at each point of care. The risk of harm should be explained to patients and their agreement obtained at each appropriate point. Professional blame or litigation may result if this is not done and harm results. See also primum non nocere; professionalism.... harm
Latin for ‘first do no harm’, a traditional medical aphorism, similar to the Greek for ‘abstain from doing harm’ in the Hippocratic Oath and also to the *prima facie principle of *nonmaleficence. It is a reminder to first consider whether a proposed medical intervention risks causing more harm than good. See also risk–benefit analysis.... primum non nocere
an analytical process used to weigh up the probability of foreseeable risks and benefits of an action or policy. In medical ethics, it provides a means of reconciling the principles of *beneficence and *nonmaleficence where a particular intervention has dangers as well as benefits. Compare cost–benefit analysis. See also consequentialism.... risk–benefit analysis
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