title: When families request that 'everything possible' be done.
abstract: The paper explores the ethical and psychological issues that arise when family members request that "everything possible" be done for a particular patient. The paper first illustrates this phenomenon by reviewing the well known case of Helga Wanglie. We proceed to argue that in Wanglie and similar cases family members may request futile treatments as a means of conveying that (1) the loss of the patient is tantamount to losing a part of themselves; (2) the patient should not be abandoned or disvalued in any way; or (3) the patient is owed special obligations by virtue of the special relationship in which the family and the patient stand. We maintain that families can best express these important messages by caring for patients, rather than by making requests for futile interventions. Likewise, when life-sustaining measures are futile, health providers can best fulfill their professional obligations by assuring patients' dignity and comfort, rather than by applying futile interventions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical History and Ethics, University of Washington, Seattle 98195, USA.
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Jecker
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Schneiderman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001293:Attitude to Death; D003657:Decision Making; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D006296:Health Services / Q000592:standards; D006323:Heart Arrest; D006801:Humans; D018447:Medical Futility; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000191:economics; D010344:Patient Advocacy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence