Final answer:
The dominant approach to ethical decision making in healthcare and research involves the principles of respect for autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and distributive justice, which guide moral reasoning in ethical dilemmas.
Step-by-step explanation:
Principles of Ethical Decision Making
The dominant approach to ethical decision making in the context of clinical and research settings is based on four main principles: respect for autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and distributive justice. The principle of autonomy asserts that patients or participants should have the right to make informed decisions about their own health care. The principle of beneficence encourages actions that benefit others and contribute to their well-being. Nonmaleficence obliges health care providers and researchers to avoid causing harm. Finally, distributive justice refers to the fair and equitable distribution of benefits and burdens among individuals in society. These principles guide moral reasoning in various ethical dilemmas and help balance competing moral claims.
In addition, normative ethics offers different frameworks, including consequentialism, deontology, and virtue ethics, which can complement these four principles by focusing on the outcomes, duties, or character traits relevant to ethical decision-making processes.