A Systematic Review of Educational Interventions to Equip Health and Social Care Professionals to Promote End-of-Life Supportive Care when a Parent with Dependent Children is Dying with Cancer
This systematic review aimed to determine the content, mode of delivery, assessment, and outcomes of educational interventions to equip health and social care professionals (HSCPs) when delivering end-of-life (EoL) supportive care for parents dying with cancer who have dependent children.
Data Sources
The review was reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. A search strategy was developed with assistance of subject librarians and peer-reviewed using the Peer Review of Electronic Search Strategies tool. A search of MEDLINE OVID, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and ERIC electronic databases and gray literature was conducted. Quality assessment was conducted on included studies. Data synthesis was conducted using a convergent integrated approach.
Conclusion
The review identified just two educational interventions, highlighting the dearth of educational interventions available to HSCPs to provide supportive care to families when a parent is at EoL with cancer. The identified interventions were of good methodological quality and were positively evaluated by participants, enhancing their confidence to engage in EoL conversations. It is imperative that interventions that use robust evaluation methods are developed and made accessible to HSCPs.
Implications for Nursing Practice
The review highlights the urgent need for the development of interventions for HSCPs to provide supportive care to families when a parent is at EoL with cancer. This is a fundamental aspect of care, and it is imperative that accessible educational interventions are developed to improve the quality of care and reduce distress for patients and their families.
