Which example best illustrates ethical decision-making?

• A. Acting solely on personal preference.
• B. Ignoring policies to save time.
• C. Weighing patient welfare, policies, and legal requirements before acting.
• D. Relying only on intuition.

Answer: (C)

Ethical decision-making in care means evaluating patient welfare, policies, and legal requirements before acting. This approach ensures actions support the patient’s best interests, prevent harm, respect autonomy, and stay within legal and professional standards. The example fits best because it explicitly considers what benefits the patient and also checks that the course of action aligns with both institutional policies and legal obligations before proceeding. It shows a disciplined, defensible way to act rather than relying on personal whim, shortcuts that bypass rules, or intuition alone. In practice, you weigh what will help the patient, confirm the plan complies with policy and law, and then act, documenting the reasoning for accountability.