What principle requires healthcare providers to avoid harming patients?

The principle that requires healthcare providers to avoid harming patients is nonmaleficence. Nonmaleficence is a foundational ethical principle in healthcare that obligates practitioners to refrain from actions that could cause harm or injury to patients. This fundamentally relates to the Hippocratic Oath, "First, do no harm," suggesting that the welfare and safety of patients should always be a primary concern.

In practice, this principle guides healthcare providers to recognize and navigate risks associated with medical interventions, ensuring that the potential benefits of treatment outweigh any possible harm. This principle emphasizes the importance of careful assessment, critical thinking, and ethical decision-making in order to shield patients from unnecessary suffering or adverse outcomes.

The other principles listed—beneficence, autonomy, and justice—play significant roles in the ethical framework of healthcare as well. Beneficence involves taking actions to promote the well-being of patients; autonomy pertains to respecting patients' rights to make informed decisions about their own care; and justice emphasizes fairness in the distribution of healthcare resources. While all these principles are essential to providing high-quality care, nonmaleficence specifically focuses on the obligation to avoid causing harm, which is why it is the correct answer here.