Defining Medical Futility - Essay Example

Futile interventions tend to increase the patient’s pain instead of reducing it. Medicine has come of age, especially in American society where the role played by the patient is both important and inclusive. Even though patients have a right to make a choice or even demand that acceptable treatment be given to them, it does not expressly provide that their wish be granted. A physician is only obliged to offer treatment that conforms to professional guidelines. Many times the decision is made based on the personal preference of the patient. A patient may decide that a particular outcome is not worth striving for and therefore reject or demand treatment. As a medical physician, I would therefore take it upon myself to explain to the family of the patient the various medical procedures available and the futility of those procedures. 

In a loving and compassionate language, I would try my best to make them understand the dynamics of such treatment to help them come to closure with the issue. I may only agree to use some of these interventions to help the patient stay alive if at all there is an important relative who needs to see the patient alive at least for the last time. Careful choice of words comes in handy here especially when trying to make the family and friends realize that the decision has nothing to do with the availability or cost of the necessary medical equipment for the futile procedure. According to medical ethics; the principle of beneficence states that every medical practitioner must endeavor to do well to the patient whenever possible, including when the most beneficial thing to do is “nothing”. It’s therefore important to have all parties realize that it’s in the best interest of the patient that nothing is done. That’s where statements like “everything possible will be done to ensure the patient’s comfort and dignity are maintained” instead of just saying “there is nothing we can do”.
I will also try to recommend to the family readily available palliative or hospice facilities that they can enroll the patient in even as they try to make the patient comfortable. Palliative care is a good way of ensuring the patient is well taken care of to help them manage the illness even as the family and friends take time to come to terms with the gravity of the decision. I will also bring on board both clinical and Psychological counselors who can assist with stress management to alleviate the psychological strain on family and friends. The decision as to whether a treatment is futile or not is not to be made by me alone.

Especially bearing in mind that there are no distinct definitions of what futile treatment is. As a result, there are no clear guidelines on how to handle such situations. Due to this ambiguity, most decisions are made depending on the kind of medical condition the patient is suffering from and the previous responses of the patient to the available treatment. I would therefore bring on board other colleagues including my seniors to help me decipher how best I can help the family.