A child's immunization may cause discomfort during administration, but the benefits of protection from disease outweigh the temporary discomfort. Which ethical principle is involved?

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

Answer: (A)

Beneficence is the guiding principle here: acting to promote the patient’s welfare. Vaccinating a child may cause brief discomfort, but it provides protection against disease, which is a clear overall benefit to the child’s health. Beneficence requires choosing actions that maximize good outcomes and minimize harm, and in this case the long-term protection from illness outweighs the short-term discomfort of the injection.

Autonomy would involve respecting a patient’s or parent’s right to make decisions, which is relevant in vaccination consent but not the primary ethical focus in this scenario. Nonmaleficence centers on avoiding harm, but beneficence appropriately captures the balance of allowing some temporary discomfort to achieve a greater health benefit. Justice concerns fairness and distribution of resources, which isn’t the main issue in this question.