Case Study on Biomedical Ethics in the Christian Narrative
Grand Canyon University
PHI 413
Applying the Four Principles: Case Study
Part 1: Chart (60 points)
, Medical Indications
Beneficence and Nonmaleficence
Patient Preferences
Autonomy
Medical indications are described by Hoehner (2020) as "information about a patient's
psychological and physiological condition that informs the most appropriate therapeutic,
health promotion, and diagnostic interventions to implement." There is a strong connection
between the nonmaleficence and beneficence principles. Some scholars define beneficence as
a physician's duty to act in their patient's best interests by protecting the patient's rights,
averting potential dangers, and helping those in need (Varkey, 2021). The doctor thinks
dialysis should begin immediately to save James' renal failure from worsening. The doctor is
confident this is the best course of action. Mike and James, on the other hand, decided that
dialysis was not the best course of action and instead attended a healing ceremony. As
parents, Mike and James had a positive obligation to protect James from danger and a
negative duty to do no damage to him. Mike and James worried that dialysis might cause
James pain or injury, so they avoided it. The doctor feels obligated to begin dialysis treatment
for James even though delaying treatment might have serious consequences. Mike and
Joanne think there's a strong possibility they can improve James' health by attending a
healing service.
According to Hoehner (2020), a patient's preferences are "the beliefs, experiences,
values, and preferences of a patient as informed by the recommendations of a physician"
when making healthcare decisions. This means taking into account the individuality of each
patient. All persons have an unconditional and inherent value. Hence, they must be able to