Ethics in Healthcare: Balancing Autonomy, Beneficence, Non-Maleficence, and Justice

Running head: ETHICS 1
Ethics
Name
Institution

ETHICS 2
Ethics
It is the ethical duty of the health practitioner to seek the consent of a patient before
commencing any procedures. Any patient aged 16 years or above like is the case with Jody has
the right to consent or not to any clinical procedure proposed by a health therapist (Young,
2010). The relationship between a doctor and their patient is normally underpinned by a
professional duty of care. The four main principles that form the basis of the duty of care of all
healthcare workers are non-maleficence, justice, respect for autonomy, and beneficence. These
four principles help the practitioners in handling ethical dilemmas and at the same time ensuring
that the most important factors are not overlooked.
From the provided case study, we are informed that Jody tells the oral health therapist
about her pregnancy and further requests the doctor to proceed with the radiography and say
nothing about the pregnancy to her mother. This happens despite there being protocols
prohibiting the use of radiography on expectant women. The ethical standards of practice
demand for non-maleficence. The doctors normally possess a sense of morality that ensures they
do not cause harm to the patient or anyone else (Beauchamp, 2016). Proceeding with the
radiography on Jody puts her unborn child at a higher risk of being born with defects associated
with radiography. It would thus be advisable not to proceed with the procedure and follow the
due protocols.
Another principle that is an important part of the duty of care is beneficence that
advocates for the maximization of benefits and minimization of harms to the patient. This
principle underlies all the actions that are carried out by the health practitioner (Beauchamp,
2016). In some instances like Jody’s case, the perspective of the patient regarding what they