Interventions to Promote Hope in People with Advanced Illness: Rapid Review.

Abstract

Hope is a central element of well-being in people with advanced illness, shaping how individuals cope, sustain meaning, and remain engaged with care despite a limited prognosis. However, evidence on how to promote hope remains fragmented, limiting its integration into palliative care practice. The aim of this rapid review was to identify and synthesize the available evidence on interventions aimed at promoting hope in people with advanced illness, with particular attention to their components and reported effectiveness. The review was conducted following Cochrane recommendations for rapid reviews and included studies published between 2020 and 2025. A total of 12 studies with diverse methodological designs were included. Interventions based on Snyder's Hope Theory showed consistent improvements in hope, although effects on other outcomes were less clear. In addition, approaches not explicitly designed to target hope-such as psycho-spiritual interventions, communication strategies, and early palliative care-also appeared to support its development. Across studies, improvements in hope were reported more consistently than changes in anxiety, symptoms, or quality of life, suggesting that hope may be particularly responsive to these interventions. The findings indicate that hope is a dynamic and clinically modifiable construct, shaped not only by structured interventions but also by the relational dimension of care, reinforcing the central role of nursing.