Which statement best defines futility in medical ethics?

• A. The alleged pointlessness or ineffectiveness of administering particular treatments
• B. The high cost of treatments
• C. The probability of a cure
• D. The time required for therapy

Answer: (A)

Futility in medical ethics is about whether an intervention is unlikely to provide any meaningful benefit to the patient. The best statement captures this idea by focusing on pointlessness or ineffectiveness of the treatment in achieving worthwhile outcomes for the patient’s health or quality of life. If a therapy is unlikely to help the patient meet their goals of care, it’s considered futile.

Cost, while important in broader discussions, is not a definition of futility. The probability of a cure speaks to how likely a single favorable outcome is, but futility centers on whether the treatment would meaningfully help the patient, not just the chance of a cure. The time required for therapy is about duration and burden, not about the likelihood of achieving a beneficial outcome.