| Medical futility has caused serious dilemmas in the fields of medicine and bioethics recently. It has become more confusing due to the use of high technological equipment and medicines that are given to prolong life and interrupt the natural process of death.;Therefore, we have created a dilemma of medical futility. Until recently, not many steps have been taken to address futile or inappropriate care that is given to a large number of the population, but with healthcare costs rising substantially, the time has come when these issues must be addressed.;This thesis will include a short history of medical futility, the ethics of futility and how ethical principles are used in decision making. Patient rights and advance directives will be addressed and case law will be presented.;Finally, policy recommendations will be presented and the reason why these recommendations would be advantageous to the public will be discussed. |
