SCCM Resource Library-Futility Versus Miracles: Responding to Faith-Based Decision-Making

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The speaker, with 25 years in ethics consultation and a PhD in religious studies, discusses the challenge of handling situations where patients or families invoke miracle language, often in hopes of achieving miraculous healing. He highlights the spectrum of belief from realistic hope to perceived misuse of miracle claims to influence healthcare decisions. He references Cicero’s pragmatism, suggesting miracles aren’t divine but rare statistical occurrences. The speaker shares survey data showing that a significant portion of Americans believe in miracles, which often contradicts medical futility judgments. He describes strategies to address these beliefs through understanding, validation, education, and ensuring ongoing support. The speaker also mentions the importance of setting realistic healthcare goals and providing compassionate care, discussing various approaches including collaborative engagements with pastoral care or ethics consultation. He emphasizes the need for clearly defined care plans and benchmarks to manage expectations and guide end-of-life considerations.

Asset Caption

One-Hour Concurrent Session | Using the “F Word" in the ICU: Futility and Its Ethical Conundrums in Critical Care

Meta Tag

Content Type Presentation

Membership Level Professional

Membership Level Select

Year 2024

Keywords

miracle language

healthcare decisions

ethics consultation

realistic healthcare goals

compassionate care

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