Nursing interventions in palliative care in the intensive care unit: A systematic review

CONTEXT

Patients in palliative care are found in different places where care is provided, including the intensive care environment with important role of the nursing staff.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this systematic review was to answer the following question: which nursing interventions are aimed to the palliative care patients who are in the intensive care unit (ICU).

DATA SOURCES

US National Library of Medicine (PUBMED), Virtual Health Library (BVS), SciELO, The Cochrane Library (Cochrane) and Lilacs databases were used.

DATA EXTRACTION

After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria in accordance with the PRISMA method, a total of 36 entries published between 2010 and 2020 were used.

DATA ANALYSIS

The records extracted were analyzed from a qualitative approach, so no statistical analysis was carried out.

RESULTS

The findings demonstrated that the interventions that focus on promoting the patient's autonomy and respect their needs on ICU involves effective communication, promoting shared decision with patient and family, individualize care for each patient including the family on the daily care and decisions, maintaining basic nursing care as hygiene and comfort and encouraging self-care, as well as the involvement of nursing palliative care specialists the care is important. Other interventions included promoting a continuing education program for the nursing staff and other professionals involved in caring for patients in palliative care at ICU.

CONCLUSION

This review highlighted the need for specific nursing interventions aimed at palliative care patients at ICU to promote patient autonomy and the focus on patient needs, always sharing decisions with the patient and family. However, it showed that there is a need for the continuous training of the nursing staff because factors such as the nurses' lack of technical-scientific knowledge and, concomitantly, the absence of a standardized and specific intervention model linked to a bureaucratic system, make it difficult to carry out a specialized care for this type of patient.

A genealogy of what nurses know about 'the good death': A socio-materialist perspective

In this article, we report the outcome of a sociological inquiry into nursing knowledge of death and dying, specifically 'the good death'. A genealogical approach informed by actor-network theory and appreciative inquiry were used to compose a broad socio-material account of how nurses concern themselves with the care of the dying and end-of-life care. Our enquiry revealed similarly to other studies, that there was no shared or overarching model of care. Key themes derived from nurses' translations of 'the good death' were re-presented pictorially as six pillars and two processes to comprise a new diagram of The Personalised Ideal Death.

A conceptual analysis of the meaning of comfort at the end-of-life using the Walker and Avant (2014) Framework

Objective

The aim of the authors is to clarify the concept of comfort at the end-of-life in order to support understandings of fundamental nursing care needed at this stage of healthcare.

Methods

The Walker and Avant framework was applied to develop a deeper understanding of the concept of comfort at the end of life.

Results

Five defining attributes of comfort in the end-of-life were identified and they are having a peaceful home-life environment, trust and consolation, proximity and social-cultural support, alleviation of suffering, and a process of integrated intervention by nurses.

Conclusions

At the end-of-life patients commonly experience physical, psychological, social-cultural, and environmental discomfort. Patients’ families also encounter significant challenges. However, their comfort needs are often secondary to that of the patient. Additionally, a lack of clarity exists regarding the holistic meaning of comfort at the end-of-life, which can largely be confined to understandings of physical comfort for the patient, with a limited understanding of addressing family/caregivers’ needs. Therefore, this concept analysis may provide some guidance in this regard and also provides support toward a more integrated understanding of the concept.

Privilegiar la dignidad durante la muerte en unidades de cuidados intensivos. Perspectivas del personal de salud

Los pacientes que ingresan a las Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos (UCI) no siempre evolucionan hacia la recuperación, lo que implica que el personal de la UCI tenga una visión holística para favorecer una “buena muerte” centrada en el acompañamiento familiar y la mitigación del sufrimiento. Objetivo: comprender el sentido otorgado por los profesionales de la salud de la UCI respecto a los cuidados del paciente al final de la vida y el apoyo a sus familiares. Metodología: estudio cualitativo descriptivo en dos UCI de Bogotá. La información se obtuvo con la técnica de grupos focales y se analizó siguiendo la propuesta de Taylor y Bogdan, adaptada por Amezcua y Hueso.  Resultados: emergieron cuatro categorías: sentidos y significados del equipo interdisciplinario respecto a la muerte, comunicación al final de vida en la UCI, percepciones sobre muerte digna en la UCI y dilemas éticos respecto al manejo terapéutico al final de vida. Conclusiones: Para la atención del paciente crítico al final de la vida se debe garantizar comodidad, ausencia de dolor, acompañamiento familiar, bienestar espiritual, respeto por la voluntad del paciente y una buena comunicación que facilite la inclusión de los familiares en la toma de decisiones. Para mitigar la sobrecarga y el sufrimiento del personal de salud generado por la muerte y la toma de decisiones al final de vida, se sugiere formación y diseño de protocolos multidisciplinarios.

Experience of people with advanced cancer faced with the impossibility of cure: a phenomenological analysis

ABSTRACT Objective: To understand the experience of people with advanced-stage cancer given the impossibility of curing the disease. Method: A research based on the Heideggerian phenomenology conducted with 11 people with advanced-stage cancer. Data was collected between November 2015 and March 2016 through an open interview. Results: From the understanding of the reports, three themes emerged: Finding the inevitable possibility of death; Finding oneself through anguish and suffering; Seeking to transcend the existential anguish given the possibility of death. Conclusion and implications for practice: Experiencing incurability or re-experiencing cancer gives patients feelings of apprehension, fear, and frustration. However, suffering causes them to reflect on life and to set out on a new path, founded, above all, on spirituality. The need to accept the “Being” in its human totality is evident, considering its doubts and apprehensions, transcending its physical needs and entering into its biopsychosocial world.

Planejamento da assistência ao paciente em cuidados paliativos na terapia intensiva oncológica

Resumo Objetivo Analisar o entendimento dos profissionais de saúde acerca da assistência ao paciente em cuidados ao fim da vida na unidade de terapia intensiva (UTI) oncológica, e discutir os objetivos que buscam alcançar ao planejar a assistência na perspectiva dos cuidados paliativos. Métodos Estudo descritivo, com abordagem qualitativa, realizado na UTI adulto de um Hospital do Câncer. Participaram do estudo 25 profissionais: 12 enfermeiros, oito médicos, dois nutricionistas e três fisioterapeutas. Respeitou-se o critério de inclusão: estar atuando no setor por tempo maior ou igual a um ano. Foram excluídos profissionais de férias e de licença médica durante o período de coleta de dados, que transcorreu entre dezembro de 2015 a maio de 2016. A técnica de coleta de dados foi a entrevista semiestruturada. Para análise dos dados utilizou-se a análise de conteúdo temática, seguindo as etapas: pré-análise; exploração do material ou codificação; tratamento dos resultados, inferência e interpretação. Resultados As três categorias abrangem particularidades contextuais pela gravidade dos casos, fases da doença e tratamentos, terminalidade da vida, medicalização e dificuldades gerenciais. Entretanto, evidenciou-se a necessidade de promover conforto, atender a família, e investir na integração dos cuidados paliativos e críticos. Conclusão O planejamento assistencial na perspectiva dos cuidados paliativos no contexto é incipiente; elencam-se desafios para a prática e preocupa-se em humanizar a assistência. Sugere-se o modelo interconsultivo para integração das especialidades, mediante características institucionais.