Which principle obligates healthcare providers to avoid causing harm?

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

Answer: (A)

Nonmaleficence is the obligation to avoid causing harm. In medical ethics, this means clinicians should minimize risks, refrain from interventions where harms outweigh benefits, and carefully weigh potential adverse effects before acting. It’s about restraint and safety—not every beneficial action is appropriate if it could harm the patient. For example, choosing not to prescribe a risky medication when safer options exist, or stopping a procedure that could cause unnecessary harm, reflects this principle. Autonomy focuses on respecting a patient’s right to decide, beneficence focuses on actively promoting the patient’s good, and law provides rules and requirements; none of these capture the specific duty to avoid harm as clearly as nonmaleficence.