title: When does life-sustaining treatment become futile?
abstract: The law has long recognised that providing continued life-sustaining treatment to very sick and critically ill patients may be futile. The courts have consistently rejected an absolutist approach to care and treatment that requires doctors and nurses to continue with futile treatment right up to the point of death. If it is no longer in the best interests of the patient to receive treatment, then even life-sustaining treatment may be lawfully withdrawn. It is essential that nurses know when care and treatment becomes futile to ensure they are acting lawfully if a decision is taken to withdraw that care and treatment. In this article the author considers the Court of Appeal's recent test for determining when treatment becomes futile and its impact on nursing practice.
authors.affiliation: Swansea University, UK.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Griffith
mesh_terms: D003657:Decision Making; D006801:Humans; D008020:Life Support Care / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D018447:Medical Futility / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D016743:Mental Competency / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D009729:Nursing; D006113:United Kingdom; D028761:Withholding Treatment / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*