Medical futility Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Medical futility - Research Paper Example It is in this regard that one hereby presents personal beliefs on the subject of medical futility, especially in end-of-life decisions pertinent to patient care. As required, one is hereby presenting the platform to discuss personal beliefs and to be aptly supported with professional references. Personal Beliefs on End-of Life Decisions and Medical Futility It is my belief that patients near the end of life should be able to die peacefully and comfortably and not to receive aggressive "futile" treatment. In health care, medical futility is actually defined as â€Å"the proposed therapy should not be performed because available data show that it will not improve the patient's medical condition† (Bernat, 2005, p. 198). Some studies have asserted that defining when treatment is medically futile remains to be controversial and challenging. As described by McCabe and Storm, disparities in medical associations’ definition of the term seem to add fuel to the controversy, to wi t: â€Å"The American Medical Association (AMA) guidelines describe medically futile treatments as those having â€Å"no reasonable chance of benefiting [the] patient† (American Medical Association, n.d.) but fall short of defining what the word â€Å"reasonable† means in this context. ... 1). The same article contended that there have been several instances when patients and doctors disagree regarding medical futility; especially in end-of-life decisions (McCabe & Storm, 2008). There was a prescribed resolution process that was explicitly noted from AMA. Despite the clear standards and conditions, some patients still allegedly assert that no instance of medical futility could prevent them from instituting continued care until the last breath of their loved ones. As a health care practitioner, one could actually see the rationality of disparities in viewpoints between medical practitioners, especially doctors, and those of the patients and their relatives. End-of-life decisions are almost always difficult to make, especially in cases where there is the recommended need to stop medications, interventions, or the delivery of care due to reasons defined as medically futile. Doctors are merely being professional and their academic background and expertise have contributed to the prescribed decisions to categorize cases as medically futile, if and when necessary. On the contrary, patients and their relatives are attached with strong bonds of love and affection that make it extremely difficult to sever. Depending on cultural or religious practices, traditions, and beliefs, most patients and their relatives belief that it is up to the Supreme Power or Divine Intervention to decide when is the appropriate time to elevant end-of-life matters to fate. One’s personal stance, therefore, is to balance the pros and cons of any decision that involves medically futile treatments, as defined; and the alternative of opting to lengthen