A senior medical student grapples with her patient's end-of-life decisions, which are in stark contrast to the decisions made by her own grandfather facing a similar disease. As she explores her role and responsibility to her patient, she considers what it means to provide futile care and how to negotiate her own beliefs with the demands of her patient's family.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to evaluate the prescription of essential or futile medications for terminal cancer patients during their final admission. MATERIALS AND METHODS We conducted a retrospective review of the medical charts of terminally ill cancer patients admitted to the Hemato-oncology Department of two teaching hospitals from March 1, 2007 to December 31, 2009. Essential m...

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To explore the topic of moral distress in nurses related to witnessing futile care. DATA SOURCES Literature related to moral distress and futility; analysis of narratives written by 108 nurses attending one of two national continuing education courses on end-of-life care regarding their experiences in the area. DATA SYNTHESIS Nurses were invited to share a clinical situat...

922 Purpose/Objectives: To explore the topic of moral distress in nurses related to witnessing futile care. Data Sources: Literature related to moral distress and futility; analysis of narratives written by 108 nurses attending one of two national continuing education courses on end-of-life care regarding their experiences in the area. Data Synthesis: Nurses were invited to share a clinical sit...

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is a life-saving intervention in emergency medical care practiced globally for the last more than seven decades. It cannot be a solution to prevent every death and there are risks associated with this intervention. This article focuses on the ethical dilemmas related to the decisions of medical futility in cardiopulmonary resuscitation particularly in emergen...

OBJECTIVE Intensive care units (ICUs) in different parts of the world provide care to patients with advanced age and terminal illness at different rates and in different patterns. In the United States, ICU beds make up a disproportionate number of acute care beds. Nearly half of all patients who die in U.S. hospitals have received ICU, some of which may be futile. The objective of this study wa...