June 2019 – We find “Futility” is not a useful term when discussing treatment options.

It is not well defined and tends to be inflammatory.
It can mask value judgments by clinicians.
It can pit clinicians against each other and against the patient and family, making it harder to find realistic and patient-centered treatments.

When you feel a therapy may be “futile,” we suggest you replace the word with “non-beneficial care.” It helps patients and other clinicians understand you are weighing harms and benefits and making a recommendation toward helpful therapies.

When you hear the F-word think about whether there is disagreement in the treatment team and whether more work is needed to improve prognostic awareness.

For more information, contact Dr. Leslie Estep or Dr. Anita Meyer at Hospice of the Northwest,
360-814-5550, or lestep@hospicenw.org or ameyer@hospicenw.org