RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Making decision about what kind of caring is entitled as futile care requires the presentation of a clear definition of such caretaking. OBJECTIVE: To report an analysis of the concept of futile care. DESIGN: The analysis in this research was carried out through hybrid model in three stages. At the theoretical stage: a review of the available literature. At the work-in-field stage: semi-structured interviews. SETTING: Data collection was on cancer unit and palliative care unit. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 7 participants were recruited in the study. The inclusion criteria were: having at least a bachelor's degree in nursing, having at least 5 years of experience in critical care or cancer units, and being willing to participate in the study. RESULTS: Three themes emerged: "low quality of life", "lack physiologic return to life" and "performing non-professional duties". CONCLUSION: Futile care consists giving clinical cares irrelevant to a nurse's job and giving cares through which the return of patient would be impossible both physiologically and qualitatively.
