What would you do in a medical ethical dilemma?

When asked a question like this in a medical school interview or entry test it is imperative to outline and explore the four pillars of medical ethics. These are beneficence, non-malficence, justice and autonomy. When exploring the dilemma, interviewers do not expect you to come to a final answer, but rather to evaluate the problem in terms of these four pillars. This is most effectively done by breaking the problem down and then looking at it using each of the principles one at a time. Additionally, it is always important to mention that you may be able to discuss the dilemma with other healthcare professionals in your medical team. However, when doing this be sure to consider doctor patient confidentiality and the boundaries about what you can disclose to others.