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Table 3 Reasons for providing treatments which participants judged futile

From: Can physicians’ judgments of futility be accepted by patients?: A comparative survey of Japanese physicians and laypeople

Reason

n = 1144 (%)

1

Request for the treatment from the patient

66.6

2

Request for the treatment from the patient’s family

32.4

3

Lack of refusal of the patient for the treatment

7.2

4

Lack of refusal of the patient’s family for the treatment

2.0

5

Healthcare worker’s inadequate explanation about futility of the treatment

16.2

6

Patient’s insufficient understanding about futility of the treatment

21.4

7

To satisfy the patient

37.7

8

To satisfy the patient’s family

10.7

9

Maintenance of the patient-physician relationship

10.2

10

Maintenance of the relationship between the patient’s family and physician

2.7

11

Request or instruction of another physician regarding the treatment

4.2

12

Feeling sorry for the patient

1.2

13

Lack of public standards about judging futility

23.2

14

Lack of public standards about forgoing treatments

19.2

15

Professional attitude to do everything as much as possible

9.7

16

Avoidance of legal issue

16.7

17

Commercial management of the medical facility

3.7

  1. Each respondent chose three items that he/she considered an especially important reason for providing treatments judged futile.