From Healthcare Ethics:
Futility
Numerous definitions of futility have been proposed, but none have been universally accepted. The concept of futility is sometimes used to describe any effort to achieve a result that is possible but which experience suggests is highly improbable and cannot systematically be reproduced. [Source: Schneiderman, LJ, Jecker, NS, and Jonsen, AR, “Medical Futility: Its Meaning and Ethical Implications,” Annals of Internal Medicine 112 (1990): 949-54.] This definition offers both precision and flexibility to account for circumstances, but leaves open the question of what constitutes “highly improbable.” …From …read more…