A nurse is discharging two clients from the hospital to their homes. The provider states that the client with insurance will receive supplies to take home and the one without insurance will need to pick up supplies at the local clinic. The nurse should recognize that this is a breach of which of the following ethical principles?

Rationale: A. Autonomy: Autonomy involves respecting a client’s right to make their own healthcare decisions. While important, this scenario concerns unequal treatment rather than limiting the clients’ decision-making rights. B. Justice: Justice refers to fairness and equity in the distribution of healthcare resources. Providing supplies to one client based on insurance status while denying them to another reflects unequal and unethical treatment, violating the principle of justice. C. Beneficence: Beneficence means acting in the best interest of the client by promoting well-being. Although the insured client is benefitting, failing to support the uninsured client equally undermines the overall intent to do good for all clients. D. Nonmaleficence: Nonmaleficence is the obligation to do no harm. While denying supplies could lead to harm, the primary ethical breach in this situation lies in the unfair distribution of care, which relates more directly to justice.