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Background <p>The demand for end-of-life care will rise significantly in coming decades due to increasing life expectancy and the growing burden of chronic diseases. Palliative care aims to support patients’ preferences to remain at home (both for ongoing care and, when possible, to die). The feasibility of dying at home is shaped by a complex interplay of patient factors, the capacity of family caregivers, and the availability of home care teams and community resources. Healthcare professionals, especially nurses, are pivotal in accommodating patient preferences, and are uniquely positioned to influence the quality and feasibility of end-of-life care. A deeper understanding of their specific interventions, particularly for patients in their last days and their families, is essential to inform practice, education, and policy.</p> <p>This review aims to synthesise the available evidence, identify effective nursing interventions, highlight knowledge gaps and inform nursing practice, education and policy at an international level.</p> Methods <p>This mixed-methods systematic review will be conducted according to the updated methodology of the Joanna Briggs Institute and reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The search will be conducted in PsycINFO, MEDLINE, CINAHL ULTIMATE, Web of Science and Mediclatina, with no date or language restrictions. Two reviewers will independently screen data, assess methodological quality using appropriate appraisal tools, and extract data using standardized forms. Quantitative and qualitative findings will be integrated through a convergent approach.</p> Discussion <p>Nursing interventions in the last days of life are complex and multifaceted, critically influencing patient’s comfort, dignity and quality of life, as well family experience. However, accurately identifying and defining is challenging due to variability in terminology and conceptual boundaries, particularly in studies that focus on the “last days of life”. This variability may limit comparability across studies and highlight the need for greater conceptual clarity to guide research, practice, and policy.</p> Trial registration <p>Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD420251112044</p>

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Nursing interventions for patients in last days of life and their family caregivers at home: a protocol for a mixed methods systematic review

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月2日

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  • Milene Isabel Costa Mendonça Lima,
  • Maria da Graça Melo e Silva,
  • Sara Maria Oliveira Pinto

摘要

Background

The demand for end-of-life care will rise significantly in coming decades due to increasing life expectancy and the growing burden of chronic diseases. Palliative care aims to support patients’ preferences to remain at home (both for ongoing care and, when possible, to die). The feasibility of dying at home is shaped by a complex interplay of patient factors, the capacity of family caregivers, and the availability of home care teams and community resources. Healthcare professionals, especially nurses, are pivotal in accommodating patient preferences, and are uniquely positioned to influence the quality and feasibility of end-of-life care. A deeper understanding of their specific interventions, particularly for patients in their last days and their families, is essential to inform practice, education, and policy.

This review aims to synthesise the available evidence, identify effective nursing interventions, highlight knowledge gaps and inform nursing practice, education and policy at an international level.

Methods

This mixed-methods systematic review will be conducted according to the updated methodology of the Joanna Briggs Institute and reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The search will be conducted in PsycINFO, MEDLINE, CINAHL ULTIMATE, Web of Science and Mediclatina, with no date or language restrictions. Two reviewers will independently screen data, assess methodological quality using appropriate appraisal tools, and extract data using standardized forms. Quantitative and qualitative findings will be integrated through a convergent approach.

Discussion

Nursing interventions in the last days of life are complex and multifaceted, critically influencing patient’s comfort, dignity and quality of life, as well family experience. However, accurately identifying and defining is challenging due to variability in terminology and conceptual boundaries, particularly in studies that focus on the “last days of life”. This variability may limit comparability across studies and highlight the need for greater conceptual clarity to guide research, practice, and policy.

Trial registration

Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD420251112044