Comfort of patients in palliative care: an integrative review
Abstract
Objective: Identify and synthesize the research on the comfort of patients in palliative care.
Method: Integrative review in 11 databases, with the following research question: "What are the strategies used to minimize the comfort needs of patients in palliative care?". The selected studies were submitted to content analysis; with the aid of the software Interface de R pour les Analyses Multidimensionnelles de Textes et de Questionnaires – IRAMUTEQ.
Results: The research identified 8,109 articles. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 16 articles were selected and analyzed. The dendogram generated in the analysis performed with the aid of the IRAMUTEQ software made easier the identification of the main strategies used to minimize the comfort needs of patients in palliative care, as follows: social support network, comfort interventions and communication in palliative care.
Conclusion: The synthesis of the studies analyzed indicated that the main strategies used to reduce the patients’ comfort needs in palliative care are support (from the team, social and family), physical contact, affection, communication, knowledge, pain relief, kindness, bathing, music therapy, radiotherapy, contact with the external environment (nature), recreation, contact with other people and spirituality. The studies showed that several non-pharmacological interventions, which seem trivial and of little technological complexity (such as availability, affection, support, bathing), have the ability to significantly affect the patients' state of comfort.
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