Which ethical principle focuses on loyalty and faithfulness to promises in professional care?

• A. Fidelity
• B. Autonomy
• C. Veracity
• D. Nonmaleficence

Answer: (A)

Fidelity is about loyalty and keeping your word in professional care. It means honoring the commitments you make to patients—following through on care plans, keeping promises about what you will do or when you will do it, and protecting patient confidentiality. This trust-based obligation underpins a reliable caregiver–patient relationship; when you promise to return to a patient, to explain a test result, or to advocate for their preferences, fidelity requires you to follow through even if it’s challenging or inconvenient.

Autonomy focuses on respecting a patient’s right to make their own decisions about their care; veracity is about truth-telling; nonmaleficence is about not causing harm. Fidelity isn’t about the decision-making process, truth-telling, or harm avoidance alone—it’s about being faithful to the commitments you make in care.