Table 2 The role of physicians in decision making about futile care
From: Experts' attitudes towards medical futility: an empirical survey from Japan
Questions | Yes | No | Comments* | Missing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
If treatment is physiologically futile, is there any obligation on physician to inform the patient? | 85.2% (92) | 7.4% (8) | 5.6% (6) | 1.9% (2) |
Should physicians' professional judgment be "value free"? | 6.5% (7) | 87% (94) | 4.6% (5) | 1.9% (2) |
Do you think that physicians have a legitimate role in blocking access to the treatment even if it would likely achieve the patient's goals? | 13% (14) | 69.4% (75) | 13% (14) | 4.6% (5) |
Should physicians be allowed to judge about evaluative futility and rely on their own personal beliefs and values? | 28.7% (31) | 64.8% (70) | ------- | 6.5% (7) |
Should physicians be authorized to refuse a treatment which works but because of the patient's poor prognosis he believes that it is not worth trying? | 25% (27) | 55.6% (60) | 17.6% (19) | 1.9% (2) |
Should physicians be empowered to impose evaluative judgment that conforms to professional standards and emerging societal interest? | 4.6% (5) | 75% (81) | 17.6% (19) | 2.8% (3) |