Which four principles are most commonly guiding professional practice and should inform decision making in patient care?

• A. Autonomy, Beneficence, Nonmaleficence, and Justice
• B. Privacy, Confidentiality, Accountability, Transparency
• C. Efficiency, Cost-effectiveness, Compliance, Productivity
• D. Competence, Loyalty, Honesty, Empathy

Answer: (A)

Four guiding principles shape professional practice and patient care decisions: autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. Autonomy respects the patient’s right to make informed choices about their own health. Beneficence drives actions that promote the patient’s welfare and well-being. Nonmaleficence requires clinicians to avoid causing harm, balancing benefits and risks. Justice focuses on fairness in the distribution of care and resources, ensuring equitable treatment for all patients. These four principles together provide a framework for evaluating what to do when different duties compete, such as honoring a patient’s preferences while aiming to benefit their health, or allocating limited resources equitably. While other listed values like privacy and confidentiality, efficiency, and personal virtues (competence, loyalty, honesty, empathy) are important in practice, they do not form the standard quartet that directly guides decision making in patient care.