Three gravely ill patients are candidates for the only available bed i

QUESTION

Three gravely ill patients are candidates for the only available bed in the ICU. As the supervisor, you assign the bed to the patient with the best chance of recovery. This decision reflects which of the following ethical principles?

a. Beneficence
b. Autonomy
c. Veracity
d. Nonmaleficence

ANSWER:

ANS: A
Beneficence refers to doing what’s good for the patient; in this situation, doing what’s good means providing care to the patient with the best likelihood of recovery.