Nursing Support for Constipation in Patients with Cancer: A Scoping Review.

Background: Constipation is an uncomfortable symptom experienced by many patients with advanced cancer, and it decreases the quality of life. Several studies have advised pharmacological therapies for constipation management, whereas others have promoted nonpharmacological approaches that promote changes in the patient's lifestyle. However, constipation management by nurses has not yet been systematically reviewed in patients with cancer. Therefore, this study conducted a scoping review of nursing support focused on nonpharmacological therapies offered to relieve constipation in patients with cancer. Methods: The review was guided by Arksey and O'Malley's five-stage scoping review framework. We searched the databases of PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, CENTRAL in the Cochrane Library, and Ichushi-Web of the Japan Medical Abstract Society from the databases' inceptions to August 31, 2023, using various search terms such as "cancer," "constipation," and "nursing care." Results: A total of 1501 articles that met the eligibility criteria were identified; of these, 5 articles were selected, and 1 additional article was found via handsearching. The final sample included six articles. We categorized the articles into three major nursing support types: acupressure, aroma massage to the abdomen, and self-management education. Five studies used a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design, including one with a randomized, waiting-list controlled trial, and one used a non-RCT design. All included studies showed the effectiveness of nonpharmacological interventions to improve constipation. Conclusion: This study also identified three types of nursing support for patients with cancer to relieve constipation. However, because of the small sample size, further evidence is required.

Conclusiveness of Cochrane Reviews on Nursing Interventions for Patients with Cancer: A Systematic Analysis.

Background: This study aimed to assess the conclusiveness of Cochrane Reviews (CRs) in oncology nursing. Methods: We searched systematically for all CRs published in the Cochrane Library in the oncology nursing field between January 2014 and April 2023. We analyzed the difference between conclusive and inconclusive outcomes using the χ2 and Mann-Whitney U-tests and identified 430 articles. However, we excluded 385 articles after reviewing their titles and abstracts. We assessed 45 full-text articles for eligibility and identified 32 articles. Of the 32 articles, we extracted 19 interventions. Results: The overall outcomes were 182 cases, with 51.6% (n = 94) and 48.4% (n = 88) demonstrating conclusiveness and inconclusiveness, respectively. Regarding conclusiveness, 28.0% (n = 51) and 23.6% (n = 43) reported that the studied interventions were effective and ineffective, respectively. We found that studies on interventions related to physical activity and yoga had significantly high rates of conclusive. Compared with inconclusiveness outcomes, conclusive outcomes involved significantly more studies (p < 0.001) and patients (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Ultimately, these findings reveal that in the oncology nursing field, only 51% of the main outcomes of each nursing intervention in CRs were conclusive.

Applicability of Nursing Support for Patients With Terminal Cancer and Their Families: A Delphi Study.

BACKGROUND: This report investigates the applicability of nursing support for patients with cancer with a prognosis of months and weeks, and their families. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the applicability of nursing support for five symptoms (dyspnea, pain, nausea/vomiting, constipation, and delirium) in patients with cancer during the last weeks of life, and the caregiver burden on their families. DESIGN SETTING: A Delphi study was used to determine the applicability of nursing support for patients with terminal cancer and their families. Eight experts in symptom palliation in Japan who have direct care or research experience with these populations were included. The Delphi method was used to assess nursing support types for prognoses of months and weeks. Consensus was defined as ≥70% agreement for either "high applicability" or "low applicability" of each support type. RESULTS: A total of 50 nursing support types for 5 symptoms were evaluated as highly applicable for 92% (n = 46) of patients with cancer with a prognosis of months. For patients with cancer with a prognosis of weeks, 78% (n = 39) of the nursing support was rated as highly applicable. For both prognosis groups, all nursing support (n = 6) for caregiver burden was highly applicable. CONCLUSION: Applicability ratings of nursing support may be influenced by a high degree of invasiveness, accessibility of knowledge and information, and high expectations of effectiveness. Future studies are needed to verify the effectiveness of nursing support evaluated as highly applicable to patients with cancer during the last few months and weeks of life.

Conclusiveness of the Cochrane Reviews in Family Nursing: A Meta-research Study.

This study established the clinical conclusiveness of Cochrane reviews (CRs) in family nursing. We extracted relevant characteristics of CRs to determine the methods of obtaining high-level evidence for family nursing. We performed a systematic search of all CRs on family nursing published in the Cochrane Library between January 2014 and April 2023. After screening 1212 titles and abstracts, we identified seven potentially relevant articles. Upon reviewing their full texts, we included six CRs with a total of 34 interventions. Of these, 22 (64.7%) interventions were conclusive and 12 (55%) were inconclusive. Thus, the number and percentage of conclusive CRs is lower in family nursing versus other fields.

Nursing Support for Nausea and Vomiting in Patients With Cancer: A Scoping Review.

Nausea and vomiting are symptoms commonly experienced by patients with advanced cancer and have a wide range of causes, including pharmacological interventions. Additionally, multiple factors often simultaneously cause nausea and vomiting. These highly distressing symptoms may be directly or indirectly related to the disease and can significantly impact both the physical and psychological well-being of patients. This study aims to identify the nursing support provided to reduce nausea and vomiting experienced by patients with cancer. This study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews checklist and Arksey and O'Malley's framework. We searched the PubMed, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials in the Cochrane Library, and the Ichushi-Web of the Japan Medical Abstract Society databases for all content published from the inception of each database through July 31, 2023. A total of 4,625 scientific articles were identified after literature screening. In total, 58 articles were included for full-text review, and 10 articles were finally selected for review. The types of study designs comprised six randomized controlled trials, three prospective observational studies, and one before-after study with no controls. The types of cancers included in the articles were colorectal, breast, lung, pancreatic, gynecological, stomach, and sarcoma. The total sample size of the study population was 793 patients (range = 12-281) for intervention studies and 4,333 patients (range = 20-4,197) for observational studies. Nursing support, extracted from the 10 articles, was classified into the following six types: massage therapy, acupressure, early palliative care, psychosocial support, self-symptom monitoring, and coordinated care. The review yielded six classifications of nursing support for nausea and vomiting in cancer patients. Future research should examine the feasibility of providing nursing support for nausea and vomiting in cancer patients.

Nursing Support for Caregiver Burden in Family Caregivers of Patients With Cancer: A Scoping Review.

Purpose: To identify nursing support for caregiver burden in family caregivers of patients with cancer. Methods: This scoping review was guided by Arksey and O'Malley's six-stage scoping review framework. All available published articles from database inception to July 31, 2023 were systematically searched through PubMed, CINAHL, CENTRAL, and Ichushi-Web of the Japan Medical Abstract Society databases with additional relevant studies from the article list. Each key journal was manually searched. Results: Overall, 502 articles were screened, and 34 were finally included. The results of the qualitative thematic analysis were categorized into 7 components of nursing support: psychological and educational support, psychological and educational support using mainly non-face-to-face (Information and Communication Technology), psychological and educational support mainly using non-face-to-face (telephone) methods, mindfulness to support, support aimed at reducing caregiver stress, support for both patients and caregivers, and others. Of the 34 studies, 23 were randomized controlled trials (RCT), and the remaining 11 were non-RCTs. Conclusion: The results of the scoping review categorized nursing support for caregiver burden in the family caregivers of patients with cancer into 7 components. Future research should examine the feasibility of implementing these components.

Nursing support for breathlessness in patients with cancer: a scoping review.

OBJECTIVE: To identify nursing support provided for the relief of breathlessness in patients with cancer. DESIGN: A scoping review following a standard framework proposed by Arksey and O'Malley. STUDY SELECTION: Electronic databases (PubMed, CINAHL, CENTRAL and Ichushi-Web of the Japan Medical Abstract Society Databases) were searched from inception to 31 January 2022. Studies reporting on patients with cancer (aged ≥18 years), intervention for relief from breathlessness, nursing support and quantitatively assessed breathlessness using a scale were included. RESULTS: Overall, 2629 articles were screened, and 27 were finally included. Results of the qualitative thematic analysis were categorised into 12 nursing support components: fan therapy, nurse-led intervention, multidisciplinary intervention, psychoeducational programme, breathing technique, walking therapy, inspiratory muscle training, respiratory rehabilitation, yoga, acupuncture, guided imagery and abdominal massage. CONCLUSIONS: We identified 12 components of nursing support for breathlessness in patients with cancer. The study results may be useful to understand the actual state of nursing support provided for breathlessness in patients with terminal cancer and to consider possible support that can be implemented.