Medical Futility: The Ethical Dilemma - Essay Example

 In both cases, the prospect of improving the patient's condition is exceedingly poor. Jecker notes that ".treatment that merely produces a physiological effect on a patient's body does not necessarily confer any benefit that the patient can appreciate". Though there may be physiological changes in the body, if it does not save the patient or reduce the suffering, it is futile. The ethics of medical futility are rooted in the belief that medicine is for the purpose of healing the sick and comforting those that are in pain.

Futile interventions often contribute to increased pain and agony as well as expending scarce medical and financial resources (Jecker). Ethical problems arise in defining the terms surrounding the issue. While medical treatment may be deemed as futile, it may extend the patient's life by the few hours necessary that a family requires to get closure with the dying patient. The ethics are formed by a combination of society's values on life and death, the physician's moral obligation and medical expertise, and the patient's right to autonomy (Baruch, 27).

It should be noted that the ethical decision is not just an objective medical decision, but is also a value-based judgment (Baruch, 41). The medical community has an ethical obligation to guide the patient and family through these difficult decisions.Though the patient's autonomy and family considerations are important factors, in cases of disagreement the issue may be turned over to a second opinion or a hospital board for resolution. In extreme cases where the parties can not come to a resolution, it may be turned over to a court to decide.

The physician's role is to inform the parties involved of the chance for success and the realistic outcome that can be expected. This needs to be done with consideration of the values of the people involved.Medical futility becomes an issue when an intervention has little or no chance to help the patient, but the family is willing to try anything while praying for a miracle. The physician must accurately evaluate the chance for success and be able to communicate with the patient and family in the context of their value system.

The medical community has a framework for dealing with the issue of medical futility and the ethics involved.