Can Futility Be Applied to End-of-life Decisions?
The prior conversation illuminates many difficulties in declaring treatments futile. In order for futility to be useful in clinical decisions, various involved parties need to negotiate and agree upon specific goals for treatment. This is not always possible, but with compassion and expertise it is frequently achieved. In a recent didactic, case-based discussion, I was asked to answer five questions residents struggle with concerning withdrawing aggressive treatment in patients similar to Mrs. F. I share these questions and answers to help physicians navigate their way through difficult discussions with patients and families about futility at the end of life.
