Medical ethics: Belmont Report: practice question

A Forensic Medicine question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Forensic Medicine · Medical ethics: Belmont Report

Sample item

A trial of a risky new drug recruits only patients from a charity ward because they are easy to enrol, though the drug will be marketed mainly to wealthy patients. Which Belmont principle is violated?

ARespect for personsBBeneficenceCJusticeDNon-maleficence

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

C. Justice

The Belmont Report lists respect for persons, beneficence and justice. Justice requires that the burdens and benefits of research are fairly distributed, so recruiting a convenient, vulnerable group for the benefit of others is unjust.

Option by option

A. Respect for persons
Respect for persons concerns autonomy and informed consent, which are not the issue described.
B. Beneficence
Beneficence concerns maximising benefit and minimising harm, which is a separate issue.
C. Justice (correct)
Correct. Unfair selection of subjects violates justice.
D. Non-maleficence
Non-maleficence is part of beneficence in the Belmont framework, not the principle at issue.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

Questions about this Forensic Medicine question

What is the answer to this Forensic Medicine question?

The best answer is C, Justice. The Belmont Report lists respect for persons, beneficence and justice.

Why is "Respect for persons" not the answer?

Respect for persons concerns autonomy and informed consent, which are not the issue described.

Why is "Beneficence" not the answer?

Beneficence concerns maximising benefit and minimising harm, which is a separate issue.

Why is "Non-maleficence" not the answer?

Non-maleficence is part of beneficence in the Belmont framework, not the principle at issue.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Medical ethics: Belmont Report in Forensic Medicine. Justice requires that the burdens and benefits of research are fairly distributed, so recruiting a convenient, vulnerable group for the benefit of others is unjust.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as a multi-step question: it asks you to combine more than one idea. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Medical ethics: Belmont Report?

Learn postmortem changes with their timelines, and toxicology as poison, sign, test and antidote. Then use the flashcards and the other Forensic Medicine questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.