Assessment of Iranian Intensive Care Nurses’ Perception of Futile Care

This study aimed to evaluate the perceptions of ICU nurses regarding futile care in hospitals affiliated with Kerman University of Medical Sciences in 2018. The research specifically targeted nurses working in the ICU departments of these hospitals who held at least a bachelor’s degree. The questionnaire used in the study consisted of eight questions related to nurses’ views on futile care in the ICU. Additionally, the questionnaire included a section that explored nurses’ perspectives on the causes of futile care and its persistence, covering topics such as communication, information exchange, respect for patient preferences, involvement in decision-making, and quality of patient care. Non-normal data distribution led to the use of the Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests to analyse the relationship between nurses’ perceptions of futile care, its causes, and various nurse-related factors. The study involved 236 ICU nurses who met the inclusion criteria, with 179 nurses participating in the research. The average age of the nurses was 32.78 ± 6.50 years. The results indicated a significant correlation between nurses’ perception scores of futile care and their views on the causes and dimensions of futile care (r = 0.65, p < 0.001). Further research is recommended to gain a deeper understanding of ICU nurses’ perceptions and experiences related to futile care.