Healthcare Ethical Principles
Healthcare providers are faced with numerous ethical dilemmas in their daily practice. The choice that is selected should uphold healthcare ethics and fulfill the needs of the patients. Currently, four principles facilitate ethical decision-making. They include autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice. The principles are used in all healthcare settings globally to guide the decision-making process.
Autonomy refers to the ability of the patient to make informed decisions about the treatment process. Autonomy is applied after the healthcare providers have explained to the patient details of their disease process and the treatment plan. Beneficence is a principle that requires healthcare providers to benefit the patient (McDermott-Levy et al., 2018). Care delivery should fulfill the needs of the patient. Non-maleficence is a principle that directs healthcare providers not to harm patients (Gillon, 2015). They should uphold competency and precision to avoid harming the patients. Justice is a principle that advocates for fairness when caring for patients (McDermott-Levy et al., 2018). Both comparative and distributive justice should be upheld in the healthcare setting.
All of the four healthcare ethical principles are important. A hierarchy should not exist among the principles (Page, 2017). None should supersede the other. Healthcare providers should uphold and apply them equally whenever necessary. It is important for healthcare providers to critically analyze specific patient cases and apply the most appropriate ethical principle rather than always prioritizing a certain principle (Page, 2017). Therefore, rank should not exist among the four ethical principles.
The Christian biblical narrative emphasizes respect for human life. It also advocates for fairness when dealing with people from different social backgrounds (Guthrie, 2018). Based on the biblical narrative, the order of priority in the selection of the ethical principles would be non-maleficence, beneficence, justice, then autonomy. Non-maleficence and beneficence uphold the provision for respect for life. This is because they advocate for doing no harm and benefitting the patient. Justice fulfills the provision of fairness. Therefore, autonomy would rank last.
Healthcare ethics include autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. The four principles should be upheld equally without prioritizing another one. The Christian biblical narrative advocates for respect for human life and fairness. Based on the biblical narrative, the principles would be ranked as follows in terms of priority: non-maleficence, beneficence, justice, and autonomy.
References
Gillon, R. (2015). Defending the Four Principles Approach as a Good Basis for Good Medical Practice and, Therefore, for Good Medical Ethics. Journal of Medical Ethics, 41(1), 111–116. https://doi.org/10.1136/medethics-2014-102282
Guthrie, D. S. (2018). Revisiting a Christian View of the Common Good for Christian Higher Education. Christian Higher Education, 17(1–2), 20–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/15363759.2018.1404360
McDermott-Levy, R., Leffers, J., & Mayaka, J. (2018). Ethical Principles and Guidelines of Global Health Nursing Practice. Nursing Outlook, 66(5), 473–481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2018.06.013
Page, K. (2017). The Four Principles: Can They Be Measured and Do They Predict Ethical Decision Making? BMC Medical Ethics, 13(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6939-13-10
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Question 
The four principles, especially in the context of bioethics in the United States, have often been critiqued for raising the principle of autonomy to the highest place, such that it trumps all other principles or values.
Healthcare Ethical Principles
How would you rank the importance of each of the four principles? How do you believe they would be ordered in the context of the Christian biblical narrative? Refer to the topic study materials in your response.