Ethical Questions

• what are the four ethical questions?1

  1: What does the patient want? (autonomy and informed consent.)

  2: What can be done for the patient? (available, interventions)

  3: What are the harms and benefits? (Beneficence, non-maleficence)

  4: are the patients request fair and able to be satisfied? (justice)
• What is autonomy?


  patients right to choose what happens to them (ex. DNR)
• What is informed consent?

  patients and/or family understands the weight of decisions they are making (understand risks and benefits)
• What is Beneficence?

  act of doing good
• What is non-beneficence?

  do no harm