The Bioethics for the People podcast recently hosted Peter DePergola to discuss Redefining Non-Beneficial and Futile Treatment. This is a central issue for clinical ethics.
DePergola distinguishes three types of interventions:
Ineffective - the intervention will not work in theory or effect
Inconsequential - the intervention is effective but will make no difference to the outcome (e.g. antibiotics where brain death imminent)
Disproportionately Harmful - the intervention is effective but causes unjustified harm because the patient cannot derive countervailing benefit
The last category is a bit narrower than the Potentially Inappropriate Treatment category in the Five Society statement. But it is equally subject to subjective evaluations of what constitutes harm and benefit.
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