Futility, more recently referred to as the “benefit: burden debate,” is one of the newer additions to the language of bioethics. Contemporary discussions of futility have largely considered cases involving patients in a persistent vegetative state or those requiring resuscitation or other life-sustaining therapy. However, in many areas of nursing practice, including bariatric nursing practice, moral distress emerges in the face of areas other than life-threatening situations. A case study approach illustrates these situations.
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