handling inappropriate requests

^[1]^[2]

Management

proactive communication
early consultation with experts
avoidance of the term "futile" when describing inappropriate treatments^[1]
neither simply acquiesce to inappropriate treatment requests nor unilaterally refuse treatment
if conflicts arise between clinicians & patients' families, a fair process of dispute resolution should be undertaken, in which neither individual can unilaterally impose his or her will on the other

physicians are not ethically obliged to grant patient requests for inappropriate tests & treatments (see management)

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 American Thoracic Society. News Release. May 2015. New Guidelines Aim to Resolve Conflicts in Treating Critically Ill Patients. http://www.thoracic.org/about/newsroom/new-guidelines-aim-to-resolve-conflicts-in-treating-critically-ill-patients.php
Bosslet GT et al An Official ATS/AACN/ACCP/ESICM/SCCM Policy Statement: Responding to Requests for Potentially Inappropriate Treatments in Intensive Care Units. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. May 15, 2015 <PubMed> PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25978438 <Internet> http://www.atsjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1164/rccm.201505-0924ST#.VVn9uue-1Rm
↑ Medical Knowledge Self Assessment Program (MKSAP) 17, American College of Physicians, Philadelphia 2015