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As the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence are closely related, they are discussed together
in this section.
NEW AS ON 4.01.2018
Beneficence: The concepts of beneficence and nonmaleficence are two closely related
ethical concepts which are mostly used in the fields of healthcare and medicine.
Beneficence refers to the act of helping others. It refers to actions that promote the well-
being of others.
Definition: Beneficence is action that is done for the benefit of others. Beneficent
actions can be taken to help prevent or remove harms or to simply improve the situation
of others. Beneficence prompts you to help others
Beneficent actions can help prevent or remove harm or to simply improve the situation
of others. In other words, beneficent actions include rescuing a person from harm or
danger or helping a person to improve his situation. Specific examples of beneficence
include rescuing a person from drowning, encouraging a person to quit smoking,
building a home for a homeless person, educating people about general sanitation.
These two terms are mostly related to medical ethics. In this context, beneficence refers
to taking actions that serve the best interests of patients. It involves the obligation to
help those who are in trouble, and protecting patients’ rights, providing treatment for
those who need it, preventing further complications, etc. Beneficence is considered as
the core value of healthcare ethics.
Non-Malefience:
Many people consider that non maleficence is the primary consideration of ethics since
it is more important not to harm the patients than to do them good. Since many
treatment methods involve some degree of harm, the concept non maleficence would
imply that the harm shouldn’t be disproportionate to the benefit of the treatment.
One of the most common ethical dilemmas arises in the balancing of beneficence and
non-maleficence. This balance is the one between the benefits and risks of treatment
and plays a role in nearly every medical decision such as whether to order a particular
test, medication, procedure, operation or treatment. By providing informed consent,
physicians give patients the information necessary to understand the scope and nature
of the potential risks and benefits in order to make a decision. Ultimately it is the patient
who assigns weight to the risks and benefits. Nonetheless, the potential benefits of any
intervention must outweigh the risks in order for the action to be ethical.