RESEARCH Perceptions of the approp

cG ca cl ei times provide futile treatments to patients [4-7]. A sur- of the Appropricus study as a model, we conceptualized Anstey et al. Critical Care (2015) 19:51 DOI 10.1186/s13054-015-0777-0gical procedures and medical conditions because of the6009, WA, Australia Full list of author information is available at the end of the articlevey of US ICU directors found that 46 % thought that ‘too much ’ care was provided ‘sometimes or frequently’ [8]. Providing futile treatment has been associated with that the treatments patients receive could be inappro-priate because they were too sick (futile) or ‘too well ’ to benefit from being in ICU or because the amount of treatment they received was mismatched to their progno-sis and goals of care [14]. The term ‘inappropriate ’ may better capture the spectrum of unwanted or unnecessary treatments. Creating appropriateness criteria for the ICU is conceptually more difficult than for well-defined sur