When a nurse enters the patient's room for administering medications, she notices that the patient's food remained on the table. Helping the patient in providing food and then administering the medication is an act of?

Appeared in: AIIMS Raipur NO - 2017 (Shift-1)

Explanation

Beneficence is the ethical principle of doing or actively promoting good for the patient.
The nurse's action of helping the patient eat before administering medication is a proactive measure to ensure the patient's well-being, comfort, and potentially enhance the medication's effectiveness or reduce side effects.
This act goes beyond the simple task of medication administration and demonstrates a commitment to the patient's best interests, which is the core of beneficence.

Option B: 'Normal efficience' is not a recognized ethical principle in nursing or healthcare. It is a distractor term.
Option C: 'Mal-eficence' means to do harm, which is the opposite of the nurse's action. The related principle, nonmaleficence (do no harm), is about avoiding harm, whereas beneficence is about actively doing good.
Option D: Accountability is the principle of being answerable for one's actions. While the nurse is accountable for her overall care, this principle describes responsibility rather than the specific nature of the helpful act itself.

Visual 1: Infographic: A chart comparing the four main ethical principles in nursing: Beneficence (doing good), Nonmaleficence (do no harm), Autonomy (patient's choice), and Justice (fairness). Each principle could have a simple icon and a one-sentence definition.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Use the key finding related to Ethical Principles in Nursing to guide bedside assessment, documentation, and the next nursing action.
Beneficence guides countless daily nursing actions, from providing a warm blanket for comfort to advocating for a more effective pain management plan.
Understanding and applying beneficence helps nurses build trust with patients, as it shows a genuine commitment to their welfare beyond just technical tasks.
What if the patient refused the food? The nurse's next action would be guided by the principle of Autonomy (respecting the patient's choice), while still trying to act with beneficence (e.g., by explaining the importance of eating with the medication and exploring alternatives).

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core action performed by the nurse in the scenario. Here, the nurse is actively helping the patient by providing food.
Next, analyze the nature of this action. Is it an act of doing good, avoiding harm, ensuring fairness, or respecting a choice?
Define the ethical principles given in the options. Beneficence is 'doing good.' Maleficence is 'doing harm.' Accountability is 'being responsible.'
Match the nurse's action to the best-fitting definition. Helping the patient is a clear act of 'doing good.'
Eliminate the distractors. 'Normal efficience' is not a real term. 'Mal-eficence' is the opposite of the action. 'Accountability' describes responsibility, not the motive of the act itself.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Ethical Principles in Nursing
Stem keywords: nurse, administering medications, patient's food, helping patient
Lead-in keywords: act of

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