The Role of Palliative Nursing in the Context of Immunotherapies: A Scoping Review of Patient- and Family-Centered Care Considerations.

Abstract

Immunotherapies are increasingly used to treat advanced cancers and can extend survival in some patients. The potential for longer survival may inflate prognosis expectations among patients and caregivers and delay palliative care. This review sought to identify issues impacting patients and caregivers that influence specialized palliative care use in the context of immunotherapies. A scoping review was conducted with guidance from the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis. Studies were identified using MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL Complete, AgeLine, Cochrane Library, and APA PsycINFO, without any database filters or limiters. Inclusion criteria included palliative care utilization among adult cancer patients receiving immunotherapy and their family caregivers in any geographical or specialty setting. The protocol was registered in the Open Science Framework. Using Covidence, 11 898 studies were screened by reviewers, with 10 studies meeting inclusion criteria. Themes of patient and family considerations that affect the use of specialized palliative care included (1) understanding of disease/treatment, (2) hope/optimism, (3) communication barriers, and (4) emotional distress and uncertainty. This review is one of the first to identify issues impacting patients receiving immunotherapies and their families. Findings have implications for nurse communication, education, and psychosocial support with advanced cancer patients and families receiving immunotherapies.