The principle of beneficence regards best interest from the medical professional's point of view. This principle is based on the interpretation that one ought to do or promote good. According to this principle, medical professionals have a moral obligation to act in ways they believe to be best for the patient, regardless of the patient's choices. Intentionally inflicted harm is a full violation of this principle. Noncomparative justice concerns the protection of peoples' rights and the assurance that these rights are respected.
Medical ethics are concerned with the distributive part of comparative justice.
The principle of public good can be interpreted in three ways. A secondary approach reduces consideration to just the significant others of the individual such as family and friends. The third dimension of the physician-patient relationship is the communication style of the physician. Two styles, identified by Buller and Buller that are exercised by medical professionals in our society are affiliation and control. These communication techniques exhibit opposite reactions from patients.