Vipin Kailasmal Jain, Paula Sanchez, Bradley Christian, Shilpi Ajwani, Zanab Malik, Riona Pais, Janeane Harlum, Jane Frost, Ajesh George
{"title":"Exploring Oral Health Promotion Among Palliative Care Providers: An Integrative Review","authors":"Vipin Kailasmal Jain, Paula Sanchez, Bradley Christian, Shilpi Ajwani, Zanab Malik, Riona Pais, Janeane Harlum, Jane Frost, Ajesh George","doi":"10.1111/jan.70263","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"AimPoor oral health is a common but often overlooked concern in palliative care, negatively impacting patients' quality of life. There is limited understanding of how palliative care providers (PCPs) approach oral health promotion in this context. This review synthesises evidence on the knowledge, attitudes and practices of PCPs regarding oral health care and strategies to support them in this area.DesignIntegrative review.Data SourcesA systematic literature search was undertaken until January 2025 across multiple databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane, ProQuest, EMBASE and Scopus) and grey literature. Inclusion criteria focused on nurses, medical specialists and allied health professionals involved in palliative or end‐of‐life care, with no publication year restriction.MethodsThis review followed Whittemore and Knafl's (2005) framework for integrative reviews. Study quality was assessed using appropriate tools for qualitative and quantitative studies, clinical guidelines and screening tools. A hybrid thematic synthesis approach was used for analysis.ResultsTwenty‐five studies were included, mostly of moderate to high quality. Sample sizes ranged from 8 to 1339, with most participants being nurses and nursing assistants, followed by medical professionals. Findings revealed inconsistent knowledge, varied practices and limited prioritisation of oral health care. Barriers included system constraints, limited training and patient‐related challenges. Supportive strategies such as guidelines, screening tools and educational interventions were identified.ConclusionA significant gap exists in PCP knowledge and practices regarding oral healthcare due to various barriers, with few supportive strategies documented in this field.Implications for the Profession and/or Patient CareThere is an urgent need for enhanced education, robust evidence‐based guidelines and tailored training for providers to advance and integrate oral health care in palliative care settings.Reporting MethodPRISMA Checklist.Patient or Public ContributionNo patient or public contribution.","PeriodicalId":54897,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Advanced Nursing","volume":"76 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4000,"publicationDate":"2025-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Advanced Nursing","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.70263","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"NURSING","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
AimPoor oral health is a common but often overlooked concern in palliative care, negatively impacting patients' quality of life. There is limited understanding of how palliative care providers (PCPs) approach oral health promotion in this context. This review synthesises evidence on the knowledge, attitudes and practices of PCPs regarding oral health care and strategies to support them in this area.DesignIntegrative review.Data SourcesA systematic literature search was undertaken until January 2025 across multiple databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane, ProQuest, EMBASE and Scopus) and grey literature. Inclusion criteria focused on nurses, medical specialists and allied health professionals involved in palliative or end‐of‐life care, with no publication year restriction.MethodsThis review followed Whittemore and Knafl's (2005) framework for integrative reviews. Study quality was assessed using appropriate tools for qualitative and quantitative studies, clinical guidelines and screening tools. A hybrid thematic synthesis approach was used for analysis.ResultsTwenty‐five studies were included, mostly of moderate to high quality. Sample sizes ranged from 8 to 1339, with most participants being nurses and nursing assistants, followed by medical professionals. Findings revealed inconsistent knowledge, varied practices and limited prioritisation of oral health care. Barriers included system constraints, limited training and patient‐related challenges. Supportive strategies such as guidelines, screening tools and educational interventions were identified.ConclusionA significant gap exists in PCP knowledge and practices regarding oral healthcare due to various barriers, with few supportive strategies documented in this field.Implications for the Profession and/or Patient CareThere is an urgent need for enhanced education, robust evidence‐based guidelines and tailored training for providers to advance and integrate oral health care in palliative care settings.Reporting MethodPRISMA Checklist.Patient or Public ContributionNo patient or public contribution.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Advanced Nursing (JAN) contributes to the advancement of evidence-based nursing, midwifery and healthcare by disseminating high quality research and scholarship of contemporary relevance and with potential to advance knowledge for practice, education, management or policy.
All JAN papers are required to have a sound scientific, evidential, theoretical or philosophical base and to be critical, questioning and scholarly in approach. As an international journal, JAN promotes diversity of research and scholarship in terms of culture, paradigm and healthcare context. For JAN’s worldwide readership, authors are expected to make clear the wider international relevance of their work and to demonstrate sensitivity to cultural considerations and differences.