Define beneficence in healthcare ethics.

• A. Maximizing profits.
• B. Acting in the patient’s best interest to promote wellbeing and prevent harm.
• C. Avoiding all interventions.
• D. Sharing patient data without consent.

Answer: (B)

Beneficence in healthcare ethics means acting to promote the patient’s wellbeing and to prevent or reduce harm. It’s about taking steps that benefit the patient, guided by professional judgment and the patient’s needs, while weighing risks and benefits and considering the patient’s values. This is why the option describing acting in the patient’s best interest to promote wellbeing and prevent harm is the best fit. The other statements miss the focus on patient welfare: maximizing profits emphasizes money over patient care, avoiding all interventions would deny potential benefits to the patient, and sharing patient data without consent violates confidentiality and trust.