Citation

Spill GR, Vente T, Frader J, Smith S, Giacino JT, Zafonte R, Coppard B, Jensen G, Mukherjee D. PM R 2019; 11(4): 420-428.

Affiliation

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago, IL.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1002/pmrj.12152

PMID

30851075

Abstract

In this ethics legal column, we explore the concept of futility in rehabilitation. The word futility is a highly contested concept. Its definition, application, and implications have been a source of debate in the ethics literature for decades. In a classic article in 1992, Truog, Brett and Frader (also an author of this column) highlighted "The Problem with Futility"¹ and about two decades ago, Helft, Siegler and Lantos spoke to "The Rise and Fall of the Futility Movement."².

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Language: en