THE ROLE OF NURSES IN PALLIATIVE CARE: AN INTEGRATIVE LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Palliative care aims to improve the quality of life for patients and their families facing life-threatening illnesses, providing relief from physical, psychosocial, and spiritual suffering. Objective: To describe the nurse's role in palliative care, highlighting the importance of knowledge in palliative care and bioethics to make adopted decisions and implement advance directives of the patients' will. Method: To conduct this review, seven articles published between 2018 and 2022 were analyzed. The selected studies encompassed qualitative research, systematic reviews, and clinical practice guidelines. Results: The results showed an increase in scientific production on palliative care in recent years, with articles published in journals of varying quality. The studies emphasized the importance of knowledge in palliative care and bioethics for nurses, emphasizing the need for qualification to make appropriate decisions and implement patients' advance care directives. The research also identified the most common nursing diagnoses and established plausible interventions in the context of terminality. Additionally, the relevance of nurses' knowledge of integrative and complementary practices was emphasized, seeking a holistic and humanized approach to palliative care. Conclusion: This review highlights the importance of nurses' involvement in palliative care and underscores the need for qualification and the development of actions that promote a humanized approach and improvement in patients' quality of life. Despite the challenges identified in nursing practice in this context, such as the lack of preparation in undergraduate education to deal with the dying process and the need for more in-depth approaches, it is essential for nurses to base their conduct on humanization, bioethics, and respect for the human dignity of the patient, including intervention in physical, social, and emotional symptoms.