Ethical Issues in Healthcare: Principles of Justice and Nonmaleficence

This report examines the ethical principles of justice and nonmaleficence within the context of healthcare. It begins by defining ethics in healthcare and highlighting the importance of these principles in guiding healthcare professionals. The report emphasizes that justice involves the fair distribution of resources and equal treatment for all individuals, while nonmaleficence focuses on avoiding harm to patients. The report explores the application of these principles, ethical dilemmas that arise, and how healthcare providers strive to uphold them. It also highlights the importance of the ICN Code of Ethics and references the challenges that can occur in specific situations, such as reproductive technologies. The conclusion stresses the significance of these ethical guidelines in ensuring patient well-being and ethical healthcare practices.

Running head: Ethical Issues in Healthcare 1
Ethical Issues in HealthCare; Justice and Nonmaleficence
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Ethics in healthcare are used to guide healthcare professionals in evaluating and
examining individual’s problems especially in clinical cases and research using logic, values, and
facts to determine what is best for the clients involved(WHO, 2016). Ethical issues are guided by
two major principles which include justice and nonmaleficence(International Council of Nurses,
2012). Both principles must be applied to all case scenarios to ensure social justice and patients’
rights protection.
Justice in ethics implies that the benefits and burden of healthcare research or new
treatments must be distributed across all groups in society(Holt, 2017). This requires the research
and procedures involved to follow the existing laws that promote fairness to all individuals
involve(Johnstone, 2015). In order to ensure the principle of justice is highly utilized in a
healthcare setup, there are various areas that are usually evaluated. These include equally and
fairly distribution of the available resources, the balance of the competing needs, checking the
potential conflicts with the legislation and observing rights and obligations(WHO, 2016).
However, there are certain areas like reproductive technologies that might ethical dilemmas due
to the fact that treatment may not be available for all people.
Nonmaleficence is regarded as the most important of all ethical principles, guided by
Hippocratic Oath, which dictates that all health care providers must not cause intentional harm or
injury to the patients(International Council of Nurses, 2012). Health care providers usually use
four major things to make sure this principle is observed. These include checking whether an act
is not intrinsically wrong, whether a good effect was intended, determining if an intended good
effect will lead to negative impacts and checking if the good overweighs the bad(Holt, 2017).
Protection from harm does not only apply from direct treatments but even risks of harm. This
principle can be violated with or without intentions, and even some of the medical health

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providers subject the patients to harm unknowingly(Holt, 2017). Ethical dilemmas usually occur
in scenarios where benefits to the patients are considered to be greater than harm.
In conclusion, healthcare is guided by various ethical principles including justice and
nonmaleficence. Justice basically dictates that all groups involved should be treated with fairness
without discrimination. On the other hand, nonmaleficence basically implies that patients should
not be harmed intentionally. However, various medical dilemmas can occur where the above
principles can be at jeopardy.

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References
Holt, J. (2017). Ethical Issues at the end of Life. Key Concepts and Issues in Nursing Ethics.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49250-6_10
International Council of Nurses. (2012). The ICN Code of Ethics for Nurses. International
Council of Nurses. https://doi.org/10.1097/00000446-200110000-00029
Johnstone, M. J. (2015). Decolonizing nursing ethics. International Nursing Review, 62(2), 141–
142. https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.12197
WHO. (2016). Ethical standards and procedures for research with human beings. World Health
Organization.