The concept of medical futility has created complex dilemmas for healthcare teams. Recognizing these dilemmas can help manage challenging situations more effectively and enable better planning. This study aimed to examine how care providers perceive futile care and the factors contributing to it for patients in the final stages of life. This was an analytical-descriptive study conducted in Dezful, Iran, in 2022. It involved 308 care providers, including physicians, nurses, and medical and nursing interns. Data were gathered using a tool with three parts: demographic. The average score for the perception of futile care stood at 103.20 ± 32.89, while the mean score for the reasons behind delivering futile care was 118.03 ± 26.09. A statistically significant correlation was observed between perception scores and the reasons for providing futile care among end-of-life patients (P-value = 0.000, r = 0.465). The findings revealed that approximately half of the care providers held a moderate perception of futile care and the motives for its provision. The specific reasons cited by participants, combined with the positive association between perception and education levels, underscore the importance of implementing training programs. Such initiatives would help care providers gain a clearer understanding of futile care and foster improved attitudes toward caring for patients at the end of life.
