The Brutal but Utile Truth of “Futile”
2018; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 60; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/pbm.2018.0007
ISSN1529-8795
Autores Tópico(s)Ethics in medical practice
ResumoThough futility may be difficult to consensually define as a description of the limits of medicine, the term futility as it applies to quantitative futility is useful and apt. The term conveys a sometimes harsh but truthful reality for patients and families. When talking with patients and families, conveying the concept of futility might be more compassionately expressed as an inability to provide a curative medical benefit to the patient, with a concomitant commitment to provide comfort care. The ultimate arbiter of quantitative futility should be the medical profession.
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