Derse Arthur R
Perspect Biol Med. 2018;60(3):340-344. doi: 10.1353/pbm.2018.0007.
Though futility may be difficult to consensually define as a description of the limits of medicine, the term futility as it applies to quantitative futility is useful and apt. The term conveys a sometimes harsh but truthful reality for patients and families. When talking with patients and families, conveying the concept of futility might be more compassionately expressed as an inability to provide a curative medical benefit to the patient, with a concomitant commitment to provide comfort care. The ultimate arbiter of quantitative futility should be the medical profession.
尽管作为对医学局限性的一种描述，“无意义”难以达成共识性定义，但“无意义”一词在应用于定量无意义时却是有用且恰当的。这个词向患者和家属传达了一个有时残酷但真实的现实。在与患者和家属交谈时，传达无意义的概念或许可以更富同情心地表述为无法为患者提供治愈性医疗益处，同时承诺提供舒适护理。定量无意义的最终判定者应该是医学界。
