The ethical idea of “do no harm” is one most of us have heard and attribute to the Hippocratic Oath. Medical providers don’t actually abide by this at all, rather something more along the line of “let the benifits always out weight the risks.” Because the truth is that medical providers cause their patients harm all the time. There is no course of treatment (even choosing not to treat) that does not come with some level of risk for a negative out come. It becomes the job of the medical provider to help the patient to weigh the risk vs benefits for various treatment options.