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Doctors not obliged to carry out treatment they think “futile”
BMJ 1999; 319 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.319.7217.1088a (Published 23 October 1999) Cite this as: BMJ 1999;319:1088
- Tony Sheldon
- Utrecht
In a legal test case a Dutch court has ruled that contrary to the wishes of the next of kin a hospital is not obliged to return an 80 year old patient with cancer to intensive care if his condition deteriorates.
A judge in Utrecht ruled that doctors were not obliged tocarry out treatment that they regarded as “medically futile.” The decision about what treatment to give was a medical one for …
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