Public does not grasp idea of ‘futile treatment’ for critically ill patients

Physicians and patients ’ family members sometimes clash when a patient is so ill that further treatment simply won’t help. Known as “futile treatment” or “potentially inappropriate treatment,” aggressive medical interventions that are highly unlikely to benefit patients sometimes proceed because families are u nwilling to accept the recommendation of doctors.A new UCLA study suggests the general public does not fullygrasp the meaning of these terms, although the concept is important to understand so that families can make fully informed decisions for their loved ones. The study, which the researchers say is the firstto examine this issue, is published in the peer-reviewed journal Annals of ATS.Futile treatment has been debated for years by clinicians, ethicists and legal consultants, but experts have recently highlighted the need to increase public engagement in this discussion, said lead author Dr. Thanh Neville, an assistant professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.“Our study showed that most laypersons believe that families have the right to pursue aggressive treatments over the refusal of physicians, promoting patient autonomy while subjugating concerns about limited societal resources,” she said. “These issues will likely become more relevant as resou rces for medical care become increasingly scarce in an overstretched health care system, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic.”Internationalmedic...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news