Beneficence in medical ethics requires clinicians to do what?

• A. maximize benefits and promote well-being
• B. ensure patient autonomy at all costs
• C. distribute resources equally
• D. avoid all risks of harm

Answer: (A)

Beneficence in medical ethics is the obligation to act in ways that benefit patients and promote their well‑being. Clinicians should seek actions that maximize positive outcomes for the patient and carefully weigh benefits against risks or burdens, choosing what offers the greatest overall good for the person in front of them. This focus on doing good and advancing welfare guides decisions, even when choices are difficult or require tradeoffs. Other ideas described by the other options relate to separate principles—respecting patient autonomy emphasizes their choices, fairness in distributing resources reflects justice, and avoiding all risk is neither practical nor the sole aim of care (care also involves managing and minimizing harm).