Age as a Deciding Factor in the Consideration of Futility for a Medical Intervention in Patients Among Internal Medicine Physicians in Two Practice Locations

Physicians did not use age as a factor in deciding the futility of a medical intervention. In patient scenarios with comparable clinical severity of illness, medical interventions were similarly rated as futile in elder and nonelder persons. Less-experienced physicians (residents) were more likely to rate elder cases as futile compared with experienced physicians (attending/fellows).