Key ethical principles
| Principle | Decision-making criteria must… |
| Beneficence/non-maleficence | Strive to limit harm wherever possible. Activities that have higher implications for morbidity/mortality if delayed too long should be prioritised over those with fewer implications for morbidity/mortality if delayed too long. |
| Autonomy | Empower patients and their families to make informed decisions about their care. |
| Equity/consistency | Promote equity and fairness by treating like cases alike and not disadvantaging already vulnerable groups. Equity requires that all persons in the same categories (eg, at different levels of urgency) be treated in the same way unless relevant differences exist. |
| Evidence informed | Be grounded in the best available evidence, data and guidelines/recommendations from government/government agencies. |
| Proportionality | Ensure that measures taken to protect the public (or individuals) from harm should be proportionate to the level of risk consistent with current best practice, or best available evidence regarding a particular risk. |
| Reciprocity | Attempt to mitigate impacts (including consideration of psychological impacts) on healthcare staff, physicians and learners. |
| Stewardship | Take into account the impact of changes in clinical activity on all resources, including consideration of and impact of decisions on relationships between providers and patients, and across the system. |