TY - JOUR
T1 - Signs, symptoms, and characteristics associated with end of life in people with a hematologic malignancy
T2 - A review of the literature
AU - Button, Elise
AU - Chan, Raymond
AU - Chambers, Shirley
AU - Butler, Jason
AU - Yates, Patsy
PY - 2016/9
Y1 - 2016/9
N2 - Problem Identification: Identifying people with hematologic cancer who are at risk of deteriorating and dying is essential to enable open, honest discussions, leading to appropriate decision making and effective end-of-life care. Literature Search: PubMed, CINAHL®, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched from January 2005 to December 2015 for descriptive observational studies. Data Evaluation: Critique of the studies was guided by the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme Cohort Study Checklist. Synthesis: Twelve studies were included. The majority of studies (n = 8) sampled patients from palliative populations, and most were retrospective (n = 11). A number of signs, symptoms, and characteristics associated with end of life in people with a hematolgic malignancy were identified, including pain, hematopoietic dysfunction, dyspnea, and reduced oral intake. Conclusions: The studies described a clinical scenario of deterioration, largely in a palliative population. Findings indicate that people with a hematologic malignancy share certain clinical signs of deterioration with other populations and receive a high level of medical interventions at the end of life. Implications for Practice: Nurses are well positioned to identify many of the signs, symptoms, and characteristics found in this review and can play a key role in identifying when a person is nearing the end of life.
AB - Problem Identification: Identifying people with hematologic cancer who are at risk of deteriorating and dying is essential to enable open, honest discussions, leading to appropriate decision making and effective end-of-life care. Literature Search: PubMed, CINAHL®, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched from January 2005 to December 2015 for descriptive observational studies. Data Evaluation: Critique of the studies was guided by the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme Cohort Study Checklist. Synthesis: Twelve studies were included. The majority of studies (n = 8) sampled patients from palliative populations, and most were retrospective (n = 11). A number of signs, symptoms, and characteristics associated with end of life in people with a hematolgic malignancy were identified, including pain, hematopoietic dysfunction, dyspnea, and reduced oral intake. Conclusions: The studies described a clinical scenario of deterioration, largely in a palliative population. Findings indicate that people with a hematologic malignancy share certain clinical signs of deterioration with other populations and receive a high level of medical interventions at the end of life. Implications for Practice: Nurses are well positioned to identify many of the signs, symptoms, and characteristics found in this review and can play a key role in identifying when a person is nearing the end of life.
KW - End of life
KW - Hematologic malignancies
KW - Identification
KW - Transition
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84983781384&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1188/16.ONF.E178-E187
DO - 10.1188/16.ONF.E178-E187
M3 - Article
C2 - 27541560
AN - SCOPUS:84983781384
SN - 0190-535X
VL - 43
SP - E178-E187
JO - Oncology Nursing Forum
JF - Oncology Nursing Forum
IS - 5
ER -