What ethical principle is illustrated when a health care team assigns intensive care beds to patients with the best chances of recovery?

The scenario reflects the principle of distributive justice, which is concerned with the fair allocation of resources among individuals. In healthcare, this principle arises when limited resources, such as intensive care beds, must be distributed in a way that maximizes the benefit to the population. By prioritizing patients with the best chances of recovery for these limited resources, the healthcare team is making a decision based on the potential outcomes and the overall efficiency of resource use. This aligns with the ethical imperative to provide care in a manner that promotes the greatest good for the greatest number, illustrating a commitment to equitable treatment based on patients' needs and prognosis.

The other principles mentioned—beneficence (promoting good), autonomy (respecting patients' rights to make their own decisions), and nonmaleficence (avoiding harm)—are important in the overall context of healthcare ethics, but they do not specifically address the allocation of scarce resources in the same way that distributive justice does.