When is medical treatment futile? Who decides?

There is no easy way to determine when medical treatment is futile. The same can be said for who decides when medical treatment for a loved one should be discontinued. That is why the Center for Practical Bioethics, along with the Kansas City Regional Hospital Ethics Committee Consortium, has developed a set of guidelines to help patients, families and medical professionals make that choice.

Addressing intimacy in long-term care facilities

"The guidelines do not prescribe a one-size-fits-all resolution," says John Carney,vice president for aging and end of life at the Center."It does provide a conceptual framework and methodology that will help long-term care facilities address these sensitive matters."

Withholding and Withdrawing Life Sustaining Treatment

Considerations Regarding Withholding/Withdrawing Life-Sustaining Treatment was published in 1992, and revised in 1995, 1997, and 2004. The basic principles established in the original document endure; however, decisions to withhold or withdraw life sustaining treatment involve serious ethical issues.

Healthcare Treatment Decision Making Guidelines for Minors

Healthcare providers are ethically obligated to solicit the consent of their minor patients who are capable of participating in treatment decision making but have not yet fully developed decisional capacity.