ETHICAL AND TECHNICAL DILEMMAS IN CONTEMPORARY MEDICAL PRACTICE: A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS FROM A PROFESSIONAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

This study addresses the differences and intersections between ethical and medical issues in contemporary healthcare practice, based on the recognition that technological advances and new social demands have intensified dilemmas surrounding autonomy, beneficence, justice, and nonmaleficence. The objective was to identify and analyze the categories that distinguish and relate both types of problems from the perspective of healthcare professionals. An exploratory qualitative design was used, with an ethically selected sample composed of physicians and nurses with clinical experience in public hospital settings, considering sociodemographic variables and levels of specialization. Through semi-structured interviews and categorical analysis, key tensions between technical and ethical decisions were identified, especially regarding patient autonomy vis-à-vis medical technology and the equitable distribution of limited resources. The findings shed light on the need to integrate ethical reflection into everyday medical practice and contribute to the field of bioethics by proposing lines of analysis applicable to both professional training and clinical management.