Abstract

The increasing progress in medical and health sciences has enhanced patient survival over the years. However, increased longevity without quality of life in terminally ill patients has been a challenging issue for care providers, especially nurses, since they are required to determine the futility or effectiveness of treatments. Futile care refers to the provision of medical care with futile therapeutic outcomes for the patient. Interest in this phenomenon has grown rapidly over the years. In this study, we aimed to review and identify nurses’ perceptions of futile care, based on available scientific resources. In total, 135 articles were retrieved through searching scientific databases (with no time restrictions), using relevant English and Farsi keywords. Finally, 16 articles, which were aligned with the study objectives, were selected and evaluated in this study. Overlapping studies were excluded or integrated, based on the research team’s opinion. According to the literature, futile care cannot be easily defined in medical sciences, and ethical dilemmas surrounding this phenomenon are very complex. Considering the key role of nurses in patient care and end-of-life decision-making and their great influence on the attitudes of patients and their families, support and counseling services on medical futility and the surrounding ethical issues are necessary for these members of healthcare teams.

Key words: Medical futility, Perception of futile care, Nurses, Intensive care unit, End-of-life care.