Ethical decision making in oncology: a case study approach

Every day healthcare professionals are involved in making difficult clinical decisions. This has become more apparent as society changes, in part due to technologic growth and diminishing resources. This article identifies basic principles of bioethics, applies those principles to situations that occur in the process of providing care to oncology patients, and identifies concerns expressed by nurses attending an oncology conference that are related to those patient situations. Bioethical principles are described and include autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. A decision-making model is provided as a tool to resolve ethical dilemmas.