Which principle is defined as acting in the patient's best interest, including relief from pain and providing cure when possible?

• A. Justice
• B. Beneficence
• C. Nonmaleficence
• D. Autonomy

Answer: (B)

Beneficence is the obligation to act for the patient’s good: to promote well-being, alleviate suffering, and pursue healing or improvement when feasible. This principle directly captures acting in the patient’s best interest and includes efforts to relieve pain and to achieve a cure when it can be realistically obtained. Justice focuses on fairness and how benefits and burdens are distributed among people, not on the individual care plan. Nonmaleficence is the duty to do no harm, which is about avoiding harm rather than actively promoting good. Autonomy centers on respecting the patient’s independent choices and control over their own medical decisions. In practice, beneficence guides clinicians to take actions that maximize patient welfare, such as providing effective pain relief or pursuing curative options when appropriate, while balancing these goals with other ethical considerations.