Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40501010›Full record

ArticleDeveloping world bioethics2026

Ethics of Futile Care: Who Decides When Enough Is Enough?-A Commentary From the Indian Context on Moral Distress in ICU Staff.

Shibu Sasidharan, Harpreet Dhillon

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Developing world bioethics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Shibu SasidharanDepartment of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, Base Hospital, Delhi Cantt, New Delhi, India.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2991-7595
Harpreet DhillonDepartment of Addiction Psychiatry, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5956-874X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This paper examines the ethical dilemmas surrounding futile care in Indian intensive care units, specifically focusing on the moral distress experienced by healthcare professionals when administering potentially non-beneficial interventions to terminally ill patients. Through analysis of recent literature, including systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials, this commentary explores the complex intersection of medical ethics, cultural values, resource allocation, and decision-making frameworks within India's unique healthcare landscape. The paper highlights the need for culturally sensitive approaches to end-of-life care, improved communication between healthcare providers and families, and institutional support systems to address moral distress among ICU staff. Additionally, it proposes policy recommendations and practical strategies to navigate these challenging ethical terrain while respecting patient dignity, family autonomy, and professional integrity in the Indian healthcare system.

Indexed as

Decision MakingIntensive Care UnitsMedical FutilityTerminal CareEthical DilemmasHumansIndiaWithholding Treatmentbioethicsclinical decision‐makingcultural contextend‐of‐life carefutile careICU staffIndiamedical ethicsmoral distressresource allocation

Identifiers

PMID40501010
PMCPMC13570730

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.