Which ethical concept most aligns with promoting patient well-being and interests?

Beneficence is a fundamental ethical principle that focuses on actions that promote the well-being and interests of patients. In healthcare, this concept emphasizes the obligation of providers to act in the best interest of their patients, ensuring that their actions contribute positively to the patient’s health and overall welfare.

Beneficence goes beyond merely avoiding harm; it actively seeks to enhance the quality of life and outcomes for patients. This principle is central to medical ethics and underlies many aspects of patient care, from treatment decisions to the implementation of supportive services.

While principle-based ethics encompasses a broader range of ethical principles, including justice and autonomy, it does not specifically focus on promoting patient well-being to the same extent as beneficence. The ethic of care, while also concerned with relationships and patient welfare, typically emphasizes interpersonal connections and emotional engagement rather than the direct promotion of well-being as defined by beneficence. Digenic inheritance refers to a genetic concept and is unrelated to ethical considerations in patient care.

Therefore, beneficence is the ethical concept that most directly aligns with promoting patient well-being and interests.