Abstract: Since the time of Hippocrates, medical futility has been a concept that has been acknowledged, but which neither the medical community nor ethicists have been able to concretely define. This is because while the cardinal goals of medical care: “to relieve physical and emotional pain and suffering… enhance the quality and functionality of life… to extend the length of life” (Doty, & Walker, 2000) have remained constant, our preoccupation with the prolongation of life, fortified by the extraordinary advances in medical technology that make it possible, have skewed our perception such that the line between prolongation of life and prolongation of the dying process has been blurred. As a result, physicians and families faced with end-of-life decisions must navigate their own way. Ideally, public health officials will initiate a national discussion about medical futility and all of the demons it brings with it so we can achieve a more consistent, ethical health care system.
Keywords: medical futility, Public Health, Policy
Title: Medical Futility: Implications for Ethics, Public Health, Politics, and Policy
Author: Danielle L. Malone
International Journal of Healthcare Sciences
ISSN 2348-5728 (Online)
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