Unfortunately, neither subjective support nor objective support alone reflects social support needs adequately, due to the lack of a standard for judging the appropriateness of the support.
In an emergency, there is often an outpouring of social support from various external and internal sources, sometimes without careful examination of the appropriateness of such support [ 25].
Given the fact that the appropriateness of social support is culturally dependent [ 22, 23], further research into the association between social support network structures and HRQoL is warranted.
We hypothesize that the objective measurement of frailty may provide additional support and reinforcement to clinicians confronted with end-of-life decisions on the appropriateness of ICU support and/or withholding of life-sustaining therapies.
Research has demonstrated that the appropriateness of social support depends on the cultural context, the life event, the characteristics of the individual and the relationship between the provider and recipient [ 21- 23].
Further analysis is required to understand the relationships between MCS and PCS over time, by examining other factors in depth, such as the reason for presenting to the ED, severity and type of falls, reasons for hospitalization, type, frequency and appropriateness of community supports (if used), and the home environment and family support.
In this issue of Critical Care, two authors debate the appropriateness of providing life support in accordance with a family's wishes to an individual who is unlikely to survive admission to the intensive care unit.
In addition, allied health professionals were generally more ready for change when compared to physicians, particularly in terms of appropriateness, management support and personal valence of change thought.
The inconsistency of the available studies may limit the appropriateness of meta-analyses, yet support the overall conclusion of this systematic literature review.
