Futility of care is best described as which of the following?

• A. Intervention can always change the disease course
• B. Intervention cannot change the disease and may require physician review and relates to nonmaleficence
• C. Futility means you should always stop treatment
• D. Futility means you must proceed with all interventions

Answer: (B)

Futility in care means that an intervention is unlikely to provide a meaningful benefit for the patient or to change the course of the disease. In such cases, a physician may review the goals of care to determine if continuing the treatment aligns with the patient’s values and the chance of benefit. This concept is tied to nonmaleficence—avoiding harm—because pursuing aggressive treatment that offers little or no meaningful benefit can cause suffering, burdens, or delays in comfort-focused care. So the best description is that an intervention cannot change the disease and may require physician review and relates to nonmaleficence.