TITLE:
Current Attitudes of Anesthesiologists towards Medically Futile Care
AUTHORS:
Angela Saettele, Joseph Kras
KEYWORDS:
Medical Futility; End of Life Care; Quality of Life; Withdrawal of Care
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Anesthesiology,
Vol.3 No.4,
June
4,
2013
ABSTRACT: Purpose: To explore anesthesiologists’
perceptions of the reasons underlying why physicians continue to provide care
that they consider futile. Methods: A qualitative
study was conducted utilizing a grounded theory approach. Four separate focus groups (2 resident
physician groups and 2 attending physician groups) were conducted over a three
week span. An interview guide was used consisting of a proposed definition of
futility and five open-ended questions. Responses to the five open-ended questions
were used to guide follow up questions. Transcribed audio recordings were then
analyzed. Results: With data
reduction, we were able to
separate responses into definitions of futility, stories of cases where futile
care was provided, and opinions as to the underlying causes of continuing to
provide futile care. A variety of opinions was obtained, suggesting the
possibility that different groups (surgeons, anesthesiologists, family members)
view questions of futility differently. Conclusions: Complete agreement on a definition of
futility does not exist. Even when some agreement exists, there is great
difficulty in predicting outcomes in individual cases. Future quantitative
studies may provide more evidence of trends in underlying reasons for providing
futile care. Focused education efforts may then lead to more agreement between all involved.