The ethical principle that obligates a nurse to act for the benefit of others and to "do good" is known as:?

Appeared in: NORCERT 8 Mains-2025

Explanation

Beneficence is the ethical principle that requires a nurse to take positive actions to help others and promote their well-being.
The core of this principle is to 'do good' and act in the best interests of the patient.
Examples include providing comfort to a distressed patient, administering timely pain relief, and offering emotional support.
It is a proactive principle, distinct from simply avoiding harm.

Option A: Justice refers to fairness and the equitable distribution of resources and care. It does not specifically mean 'to do good' but rather to be fair to all.
Option B: Autonomy is the principle of respecting a patient's right to self-determination and to make their own decisions about their healthcare.
Option C: Non-maleficence is the principle of 'do no harm.' It focuses on avoiding actions that could cause injury or suffering to the patient. While related to beneficence, its focus is on avoidance of harm, not the active promotion of good.

Visual 1: Diagram - A chart comparing the core ethical principles in nursing (Beneficence, Non-maleficence, Autonomy, Justice) with their definitions and a clinical example for each. This helps differentiate the concepts visually.
Visual 2: Flowchart - A decision-making flowchart for an ethical dilemma, showing how a nurse might weigh principles like Autonomy versus Beneficence when a patient's wishes conflict with their best interests.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Knowing Core Ethical Principles in Nursing helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
Understanding and applying these ethical principles is fundamental to daily nursing practice and professional conduct.
Nurses frequently face ethical dilemmas where these principles may conflict, requiring careful judgment.
For example, respecting a patient's autonomy to refuse a blood transfusion (Autonomy) may conflict with the nurse's duty to act in their best interest to save their life (Beneficence).

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key phrase in the question stem: 'act for the benefit of others and to "do good"'.
This is a definition-based recall question. Your task is to match this definition to the correct ethical term.
Review the options and recall the core meaning of each principle.
Autonomy = self-rule; Justice = fairness; Non-maleficence = do no harm.
Beneficence directly translates to 'doing good'.
Select the option that is a direct synonym for the key phrase in the stem.

Concept Tested & Keywords

QXSUgve1SZgI49ijS1IYBT

Practise the full NORCERT 8 Mains-2025

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.