Fundamental ethical principles in health care.

ABSTRACT

KIE In an attempt to clarify which requirements of morality are logically primary to the ethics of health care, two questions are examined is there sufficient common ground among the medical, nursing, paramedical, chaplaincy, and social work professions to justify looking for ethical principles common to health care? Do sufficient logical grounds or consensus among health workers and the public exist to speak of "fundamental ethical principles in health care"? While respect for persons, justice, and beneficence are fundamental principles in a formal sense, how we view these principles in practice will depend on our particular culture and experience and the kinds of metaethical criteria we use for applying these principles.^ieng