Medical Ethics Frameworks

A good knowledge of ethical frameworks is essential for success in not only your medical school interviews but for your career as a healthcare professional. They will form the basis of many of your patient interactions and clinical decisions.

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Frameworks

Consequentialism

• An action's morality is dependent purely on the consequence

• As long as the action has an overall benefit, the morality of any other aspect of the action does not matter

• Example - limited drug supply with one severely sick patient or five less sick patients

Utilitarianism

• Best action is the one that provides the most good

• The best decision is the one that benefits the most people

• Example - see the previous consequentialism example

Deontology

• 'Duty-based'

• Follow rules

• Contrast

• Example

Virtue ethics

• An action's morality is dependent on the motivations behind their actions

• Aim to be good and actions will automatically be moral

• Compassion, discernment, trustworthiness, integrity, conscientiousness

Principalism

• Four pillars

• Universal

• Most moral

• Importance?

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Features of a strong argument

• Concise

• Balanced

• Factual

• Structure

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TAM's Top Tips

1. Spend time looking over these - complex but will score highly in interview

2. Read around the 'hot' ethical topics - you can use our website www.TheAspiringMedics.co.uk. Try and apply the frameworks to these

3. Stay calm and concise - ethical questions are difficult but you will be well-equipped to answer them with these frameworks. Stay calm, follow these frameworks and you will score highly