Medical Futility: A Growing Legal, Ethical, and Moral Dilemma for decades. While sophisticated medical technology has allowed people to live longer, it has also caused prolonged death, most often to the great detriment of individuals and their families. Ira Byock, director of palliative medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, believes that too many Americans are "dying seriously." Discussing this issue, he said: “Families cannot imagine that there could be anything worse than the death of their loved one, but in reality there are worse things.” “It's having someone you love… suffering, dying connected to machines” (CBS News, 2014). In the not so distant past, the knowledge, skills and technology were simply not available to cure, much less prolong, the deaths of seriously ill people. In addition to the ethical and moral dilemmas this entails, the costs of intensive treatment often do not bring appreciable benefits. However, cost alone should not determine when treatment becomes “futile,” as this turns medicine into an even more dangerous ethical quagmire. While preserving life with the best possible care is always good medicine, the suffering and prolonged deaths caused by the continued use of unnecessary measures benefit no one. For this reason, the determination of futility should be a joint decision between the doctor, the patient and the patient's representative. Definition of futility of treatment The medical point of view The definitions of medical futility are: • No widely accepted definition for the term "medical futility" exists • Physiological futility: achieving the desired result is impossible • Imminent future death...... middle of document ......acific Railway Co. v. Botsford - 141 US 250 (1891). Retrieved from Justia United States Supreme Court: http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/141/250/case.htmlKarnes, B. (2003). The last act of living. Depoe Bay: Barbara Karnes Books, Inc. Kasman, D. L. (2004). When is medical treatment useless? Journal of General Internal Medicine, 1053-1056. Mohr, M., & Kettler, D. (1997). Ethical aspects of resuscitation. British Journal of Anesthesia, 253.Morrison, E. E. (2011). Justice for patients. In Ethics in healthcare administration: A practical approach for decision makers (p. 66). Sudbury, Massachusetts, USA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. van Bogaert, K. D., & Ga, O. (2014, February). Ethical issues in family practice: medical futility: the debate. Retrieved from South African Family Study: http://www.safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/viewFile/20/20

Topic > Medical Futility: A Growing Legal, Ethical, and Moral Dilemma for decades. While sophisticated medical technology has allowed people to live longer, it has also caused prolonged death, most often to the great detriment of individuals and their families. Ira Byock, director of palliative medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, believes that too many Americans are "dying seriously." Discussing this issue, he said: “Families cannot imagine that there could be anything worse than the death of their loved one, but in reality there are worse things.” “It's having someone you love… suffering, dying connected to machines” (CBS News, 2014). In the not so distant past, the knowledge, skills and technology were simply not available to cure, much less prolong, the deaths of seriously ill people. In addition to the ethical and moral dilemmas this entails, the costs of intensive treatment often do not bring appreciable benefits. However, cost alone should not determine when treatment becomes “futile,” as this turns medicine into an even more dangerous ethical quagmire. While preserving life with the best possible care is always good medicine, the suffering and prolonged deaths caused by the continued use of unnecessary measures benefit no one. For this reason, the determination of futility should be a joint decision between the doctor, the patient and the patient's representative. Definition of futility of treatment The medical point of view The definitions of medical futility are: • No widely accepted definition for the term "medical futility" exists • Physiological futility: achieving the desired result is impossible • Imminent future death...... middle of document ......acific Railway Co. v. Botsford - 141 US 250 (1891). Retrieved from Justia United States Supreme Court: http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/141/250/case.htmlKarnes, B. (2003). The last act of living. Depoe Bay: Barbara Karnes Books, Inc. Kasman, D. L. (2004). When is medical treatment useless? Journal of General Internal Medicine, 1053-1056. Mohr, M., & Kettler, D. (1997). Ethical aspects of resuscitation. British Journal of Anesthesia, 253.Morrison, E. E. (2011). Justice for patients. In Ethics in healthcare administration: A practical approach for decision makers (p. 66). Sudbury, Massachusetts, USA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. van Bogaert, K. D., & Ga, O. (2014, February). Ethical issues in family practice: medical futility: the debate. Retrieved from South African Family Study: http://www.safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/viewFile/20/20