The Principle of Stewardship in Healthcare Ethics

What is the ethical principle of stewardship in healthcare?

How does this principle relate to the responsibilities of healthcare professionals?

Answer:

The principle of stewardship is the ethical principle referring to a healthcare professional’s duty to responsibly manage resources and maintain public trust.

The ethical principle referred to in the question is the principle of stewardship. This principle emphasizes a healthcare professional's fiduciary responsibility to manage resources and uphold the public trust faithfully. It is closely related to other fundamental ethical principles in healthcare, such as beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice.

In practice, it requires professionals to be conscientious and reliable in administering care and managing resources, prioritizing patient welfare, and ensuring fair treatment and allocation of services. Other principles, like the principle of autonomy, guarantee a patient's right to make informed decisions about their own healthcare, highlighting the ethical dimensions professionals must navigate in clinical settings.