ETHICAL PRINCIPLES ACCORDING TO BEAUCHAMPS AND CHILDRESS

Background material by Professor Omar Hasan Kasule Sr. for Year 1 Semester 1 Med PPSD session on 23^rd September 2008.

The 4 basic ethical principles according to Beauchamps and Childress (1994) are: autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice.

The Principle of Autonomy is the power of the patient to decide on medical procedures.

The Principle of Non-maleficence is avoiding causation of harm.

The Principle of Beneficence is the providing benefits and balancing them against risks and costs.

The principle of justice is distribution of benefits, costs, and risks fairly