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Guiding Principles for Ethical Professional Practice

First published in 1979 by philosophers, Tom Beauchamp and James Childress, The Four Principles of Biomedical Ethics laid the foundation for ethical decision making in healthcare.  It is used today by the CRTO to provide a framework to guide RT practice. 

The Four Principles

(Beauchamp, 2008)

1. Respect for Autonomy- free will

The obligation to respect the patient’s (or their substitute decision-makers) plan of care.  This principle requires RTs to:

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ensure that informed consent has been obtained before engaging in any patient intervention
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provide sufficient information to enable the patient to make an informed decision regarding their care
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respect that patient’s plan of care, even if that plan differs from that of the healthcare team

2. Beneficence – to do good

The obligation to provide care that is beneficial to each patient in each situation. This principle requires RT’s to:

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provide services to promote and maintain well-being
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consider each individual circumstance
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deliver services in a manner which is sensitive, empathetic, and collegial

3. Non-malfeasance – avoid doing harm

The obligation to consider the possible harm of any intervention that is performed. This principle requires RT’s to:

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weigh the risk and benefits of a proposed plan of care
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recognize when beneficence and non-malfeasance can collide

4. Distribute Resources with Justice – act fairly

The obligation to be fair in distributing benefits, risks and costs. This principle requires RT’s to:

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fairly and equally allocate resources and treatments
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triage and set priorities when resources are limited
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ensure that patients/clients in similar situations have access to the same care
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assess the impact of the allocation of resources from one group to another

These four principles are considered to be equally weighted, binding obligations for healthcare professionals. On occasions where two or more of the guiding principles conflict in their application, the task becomes determining which principle should overrule the other. This guidance document utilizes these four principles as the framework for ethical decision making for RT practice.