Ethical Concerns: Medical Futility According to Bodenheimer and Gumbach (2014), “A 2003 study found that elderly patients in some areas of the country receive 60% more services than similar patients in other areas” (pg.2). Excessive use of health services can be a consequences of lack of understanding of the disease process, prognosis and treatment options. Verity of health services access and treatment options are great for our country, however, it may lead to unnecessary treatments without reaching a desirable goal.
Medical Futility Medical futility refers to interventions that are unlikely to produce any significant benefit for the patient. According to the American Medical Association (AMA) guidelines (n.d.),
Physicians are not ethically obligated to deliver care…show more content… It is extremely important to identify what is the acceptable goal for patient and physician and try to find a desirable solution to both party. If I was the nurse who treat the patient presented in the article, I will assess her understanding of her disease process and prognosis upon admission. In addition to gathering data related to her medical history, I will ask the patient what are her concerns during this hospitalization. Many time I have found out that family is the patient’s biggest concern, where family may pressure the terminally ill patient to continue seeking treatment because they do not want to deal with death. Culture background and family value may also play a huge role in end of life decision making because some cultures may view death differently than others. For example, in an Asian culture, it is disrespectful to discourage the terminally-ill patient to discontinue treatment or discuss death openly. Therefore, a terminally-ill Asian patient may not want to further disappoint his/her family for not trying harder to find a
