Palliative care and nursing in dissertations and theses in Portugal: a bibliometric study

Abstract

Abstract Objective To identify the academic scientific production on palliative care in master dissertations and PhD theses carried out by nurses in Portugal. Method A descriptive retrospective study of bibliometric type with search for the abstracts available in repositories of higher education institutions in the period 2000-2014. Results Of the 1814 papers identified, 249 met the inclusion criteria (ten doctoral theses and 239 master dissertations). The most representative methodological approach was quantitative (31.35%) and the most studied area was family/informal caregiver (20.69%). The most studied target population were the students/health professionals (38.51%). Conclusion The academic scientific production in this area has been growing in spite of the need for continued investment in order to fill the identified gaps.