Nursing Professional Development Certification (NPD-BC) Practice Exam

Which ethical principle requires nurses to minimize harm and maximize benefits to patients?

1. Autonomy

2. Beneficence

3. Justice

4. Non-maleficence

The correct answer is: Beneficence

The principle that requires nurses to minimize harm and maximize benefits to patients is beneficence. This ethical principle emphasizes the obligation of healthcare professionals to act in the best interest of patients, which includes providing care that is beneficial while also ensuring that any potential risks or harms are minimized. Beneficence encompasses a proactive approach to patient care, promoting positive health outcomes and enhancing the welfare of patients. In practice, this means that nurses and other healthcare providers must assess the benefits of a particular treatment or intervention in relation to the risks involved. They are tasked not only with providing care but also with weighing the outcomes of their actions to ensure that they are contributing to their patients' health and well-being. This principle is foundational in nursing ethics, guiding practitioners to make decisions that foster patient health and safety. While the other options reflect important ethical dimensions in nursing, they do not directly encapsulate the commitment to maximizing benefits while reducing harm as beneficence does. Autonomy focuses on respecting patients' rights to make their own decisions, justice pertains to fairness and equality in healthcare access and distribution, and non-maleficence is primarily about avoiding harm. Together, these principles stand as pillars of ethical practice in healthcare, but it is beneficence that directly addresses the goal