Muslims believe that all healing comes from God, so they have the obligation to search out medical care and right to receive appropriate medical treatment. Islam considers disease as a natural phenomenon and a type of tribulation that expiates sin. Unfortunately many elder patients with chronic illness spend their last few weeks or months in hospitals. Life support is not required if it prolongs the agony and suffering associated with final stages of a terminal illness. The decision to withhold life support from a patient in the intensive care unit (ICU) is a modern medico-legal issue. When considering end-of-life decision making, both withholding and withdrawing life support are considered to be ethically and legally equivalent. Islamic law permits withdrawal of futile treatment on the basis a clear medical decision by at least three Physicians.International Journal of Human and Health Sciences Vol. 01 No. 02 July’17. Page : 59-64
Medical and technological resources allow many patients affected by advanced diseases to receive more aggressive and expensive treatments than ever before. This wide range of available options can frequently lead to complex end-of-life decisions, such as when to start palliative care programs. Medical futility refers to interventions that are unlikely to produce any significant benefit for the patient. Medical futility is a daily problem, with significant ethical implications and concerns about the respect of the main ethics principles: beneficence, non-maleficence, patient’s autonomy, and justice. Proceeding with futile treatment is neither in the best interests of the patient nor of the healthcare system. This paper examines the definition of futility, applications of the concept of medical futility, the complexities of management when care is considered futile.International Journal of Human and Health Sciences Vol. 02 No. 01 Jan’18. Page : 13-17
It is imperative to seek remedy in life-threatening situations. When treatment benefit is doubted, seeking remedy becomes facultative. If the treatment is futile, there is no need to continue. Resuscitation has the ability to reverse premature death. It can also prolong terminal illness, increase discomfort, and consume resources. The do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order and advance directives are still a debated issue in critical care patients.The DNR order in the case of terminal illness is encouraged in Islam.
Hydration and nutrition are essential for the maintenance of life. Discontinuation of artificial support can result in distress for patients, family members, and healthcare providers. Proponents of maintaining hydration argue that hydration is a basic human need and can reduce and prevent dehydration-induced delirium, opioid neurotoxicity, and/or fatigue in terminally ill patients. Opponents have argued that parenteral hydration is burdensome and prolongs the dying process. Islamic law does not allow the withholding or withdrawal of basic nutrition because this would result in death by starvation. Terminal patients should continue receiving nutrition, hydration, and general supportive care without discrimination.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.