Ulrich Connie M
Perspect Biol Med. 2018;60(3):433-437. doi: 10.1353/pbm.2018.0020.
Futility is a term that is distressing for many, but it is a concept that merits revisiting for its normative, empirical, and ethical value in understanding end-of-life issues. Ethical concerns surrounding aggressive care and the suffering of patients at end of life are frequently cited as significant ethical issues within institutional settings, leading to clinicians' moral distress. The author responds to the essay on "The Abuse of Futility" by Schneiderman, Jecker, and Jonsen (2017), who support the continual use of futility language with patients and families. Others, however, suggest a reexamination of its usage. Concepts are not static, but the reconceptualization of futility language requires further clarification and analysis of how newer terms impact the patients and families who rely on their clinicians for expert care and compassion at end of life.
“无效治疗”这个术语让许多人感到苦恼，但就其在理解临终问题中的规范、实证和伦理价值而言，它是一个值得重新审视的概念。围绕积极治疗以及临终患者痛苦的伦理问题，在机构环境中经常被视为重大伦理问题，这导致了临床医生的道德困扰。作者回应了施奈德曼、杰克尔和琼森（2017年）关于“无效治疗的滥用”的文章，他们支持继续对患者及其家属使用“无效治疗”这一措辞。然而，其他人则建议重新审视其用法。概念并非一成不变，但对“无效治疗”措辞进行重新概念化，需要进一步阐明和分析新术语如何影响那些在临终时依赖临床医生提供专业护理和关爱的患者及其家属。
