Nursing Care to Promote Comfort for People in Palliative Care: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Introduction: Understanding the meaning and significance of comfort for people in palliative care can be a challenge for nurses when defining care. Objective: To map the available scientific evidence on nursing care that promotes comfort for people in palliative care. Materials and methods: This is a literature review based on the Joanna Briggs Institute and PRISMA-ScR guidelines. A complete search was conducted in the Medline Complete, Cinahl Complete, Scopus, Web of Science, Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal, and OpenGrey databases. Primary studies were included, with quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods designs, published between January 2014 and March 2023, in Portuguese, English, or Spanish. The search syntax was adjusted for each database. A combination of MeSH, text words, and indexing terms using the boolean operators AND and OR was used. Truncation * was used to enhance the search. Results: 681 articles were found, of which 239 were duplicates. A total of 442 studies were analyzed and 409 were excluded for not reflecting the theme. The full texts from 33 articles were retrieved, of which eight were included in the review. Comfort-promoting nursing care integrates the physical, psychospiritual, environmental, and sociocultural dimensions. Of particular relevance are the implementation of pharmacological measures, respect for religious and cultural beliefs, encouragement for the presence of family members, communication, and the relaxation of rules. Conclusions: Promoting comfort for patients in palliative care includes direct care and support for the family. The individualization of care and the response to specific needs can result in relief, ease, and transcendence.