Provision of Futile Treatment
Mrs. Smith has repeatedly requested all possible interventions and treatments. Driven not just by a desire to keep living, she has expressed a strong need to prove to her children that she will never give up fighting the cancer, equating giving up with abandoning her family. Mrs. Smith has regularly declined offers of psychological support. She has previously given fully informed consent to risky treatments which did not have a strong body of evidence that they would provide a benefit and accepted significant side effects throughout her treatments. Mrs. Smith had been scheduled for her next chemotherapy in one week’s time and both she and her husband are insistent it goes ahead, despite the most recent deterioration. The oncologist thinks it unlikely that the chemotherapy will provide any benefit, although he cannot categorically say it will not keep Mrs. Smith alive for extra hours or days. He is aware she had severe nausea the last time she had this chemotherapy and there is a risk it could actually make her more unwell and hasten her death, as it can be damaging to the liver.
- Is this ‘futile’ treatment?
- Is it legal or ethical to provide or even offer treatment, purely for psychological benefit, rather than physical benefit?
- Is there a difference between giving the high-energy supplements and the chemotherapy if both are purely for psychological benefit?
Apply Theory (Specific Professional Healthcare Competencies + Clinical Medical Ethical Principles) to Practice in order to provide Optimal Patient-Centered Care (OPCC)
