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Summary Doctrine of Double Effect Examplar Question
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This exemplar covers the Doctrine of Double Effect, a hot topic that could be asked about in your upcoming Medical School Interview!
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Are you familiar with thedoctrine of double effect? Do
you agree with it in medicine or
not?
Intro- establish what it is- doctrine of double effect is the idea that you are
morally justified to do something that is morally right, even if there are negative
side effects, as long as these side effects are not intentional. An example within
medicine- if you prescribe a person with diabetes medication such as
metformin, they may experience hypos, which can cause them to collapse
Do you agree with it in medicine?- present a balanced argument, don’t answer
straight away
For- doctors are required to act within the medical ethical pillar of beneficence,
doing best by the patient and doing what is in their best interests- if you don’t
prescribe a patient medication for the reason that they may suffer certain side
effects, the suffering as a result of their illness could be worse, you want to be
doing the best possible thing
For- in the case of breaking confidentiality, for example if you have a younger
patient requesting a contraceptive pill, and you find that there are safeguarding
issues, you would need to escalate this, as the patient may be at risk. The
patient may initially refuse to comply, but it is your moral duty to advice the
patient and use the Caldicott principles in order to break confidentiality
Against- prescribing a certain treatment could cause new problems to arise, or
cause existing issues to exacerbate. This can be avoided by looking at patients
medical history, as well as trialling medication effectively before hand. Even
though you morally did what you thought was right, if the patients experience
side effects, and then blame the healthcare professional for prescribing the
medication, therefore breaking down patient trust. Patient trust is essential for a
doctor to help the patient. Ethical issue of non-maleficence, however about
intention, you are intending what is best for the patient
Conclusion- acknowledge that whilst medication should be found for a patient,
medication that lowers side effect as much as possible, these are inevitable. As
Are you familiar with the doctrine of double effect? Do you agree with it in medicine or not? 1
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