title: Requests for inappropriate treatment: can a doctor "just say no"?
abstract: This essay examines (1) the underlying philosophical considerations when patients or decision makers request "inappropriate treatment"; (2) questions to consider in determining if the treatment sought would be ineffective, or, in the words of Weijer et al., effective toward a controversial end; and (3) practical ways to resolve such conflicts.
authors.affiliation: Mission Services, St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Hospital, Pontiac, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suziedelis
mesh_terms: D026686:Beneficence; D003242:Conscience; D034462:Dissent and Disputes; D006801:Humans; D018447:Medical Futility; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations / Q000941:ethics; D016079:Refusal to Treat / Q000941:ethics*