Future research on the topic hospice care and comfort

Future Research on the topic hospice care and comfort medications should include a
more diverse population of patients and caregivers, larger sample size and include
nurses/healthcare workers from a variety of backgrounds. Patients should be followed from
terminal diagnosis till death.
Conclusion
There were several limitations to this literature review. One being only scholarly articles
from within the past five years were included. Each article does reveal its own limitations
including small sample size and limited participants. Recommendations can be offered but it is
ultimately up to the interdisciplinary healthcare team to follow through with these
recommendations.
The literature review articles are relevant because they apply to daily hospice care
clinical practice. Hospice patients and caregivers lack information and understanding of disease
process and treatment, as well as, comfort measures, this can lead to misconceptions related to
hospice care and comfort medications.
The research reviewed proves that early education for hospice patients and caregivers is
vital to quality of life and positive experiences at the end of life. Nurses and healthcare staff need
to continue to educate caregivers and each other on end of life care and comfort measures.
Appendix
11

HOSPICE AND COMFORT MEDICATIONS
12
PICO(T): Comfort based care including pain management
and symptom management is key to improving and
maintaining quality of life of hospice patients, whether they
are actively dying or in early stages of the end of life. In
patients with terminal illness on hospice/palliative care
service, does education of comfort medications, compared to
education at the time of transition to actively dying improve
pain, symptom management, quality of life and
apprehension during the end of life.
Systematic search via Shapiro
Library multi-search
Key terms used for search: Comfort
medication AND end of life AND
education
n=49
Articles reviewed and utilized
n=7

HOSPICE AND COMFORT MEDICATIONS
Study Citation Design Metho
d
Sampl
e
Data
Collectio
n
Data
Analysis
Validity Reliabili
ty
Oliver, D. P.,
Wittenberg-
Lyles, E.,
Washington, K.,
Kruse, R. L.,
Albright, D. L.,
Baldwin, P.
K., . . . Demiris,
G. (2013).
Hospice
caregivers'
experiences with
pain
management:
"I'm not a
doctor, and I
don't know if I
helped her go
faster or
slower". Journal
of Pain and
Symptom
Qualit
ative
intervi
ew
146
Careg
ivers
of
hospi
ce
patien
ts
Transcri
pts
reviewe
d and
read 3
times,
discusse
d and
coded
SAS for
window
s
Yes,
clearly
provid
ed
descrip
tive
statisti
cs of
caregiv
er’s
experie
nces
with
pain
manag
ement
Yes,
can be
reprodu
ced,
informa
tion
was
retrieve
d from
ongoin
g
random
ized
clinical
trial
13

HOSPICE AND COMFORT MEDICATIONS
Management,
46 (6), 846-858.
doi:
10.1016/j.jpainsy
mman.2013.02.0
11
Howes, J. (2015).
Nurses’
Perceptions of
Medication Use
at the End of
Life in an Acute
Care Setting.