What is the difference between deontological and consequentialist theories of medical ethics?

Abstract

Every day, every doctor, senior or junior, faces ethical decisions. From the moment you start seeing patients on the wards, there are decisions to make. And as every decision you make can/will have a significant impact on the lives of so many people – your patient, your patient’s family, you, other healthcare professionals - medical ethics can give you a framework to help you to approach some of these decisions. The aim of this brief tutorial is to introduce some theory to frame your practice.