Abstract

The purpose of my research is to see how hospital physicians and Jewish families perceive their communication when further aggressive treatment of the patient is considered futile. Today's hospital physician has little time to get to know the patient and finds it easier to communicate with the family, especially in the medically futile situation. Other forces impinging on communication include the high cost of hospitalization, which pressures physicians to release patients as soon as possible, and a short-staffed medical team. The family's desire to prolong life is often based on their religious beliefs and culture or their internal values, feelings and traits which emphasize prolonging life. In my research, I interviewed physicians, families, nurses, administrators and families in cases of expressed difficulties in communication disagreements about futility. I found that families and physicians were at odds in their understanding of futility and their perception of how they communicated with each other. My last chapter offers a collaborative model of good communication and suggestions of how to deal with the pressures on families and physicians in these most difficult times.