Palliative care was defined by the World Health Organization as an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the burden of incurable diseases. However, in the modern era of sophisticated medical technologies, the issue of providing palliative care is given little attention, up to its complete ignoring. Nurses play an essential role in the palliative care system. They spend the most time next to the patient, provide medical care and psychological support, and meet patients’ needs.
OBJECTIVE OF THE REVIEW
To study the current issues of the nursing staff’s competence for palliative care.
METHODS
The authors searched for scientific articles in English and Russian published till 2015 in the PubMed, Scopus, EBSCOhost, and Wiley databases. The study was conducted from February to December 2022. Sixty-two publications were selected for the literature review.
RESULTS
Studies conducted in several countries in recent years in nurses working in various healthcare facilities showed lack of knowledge for the management of these types of patients. There is a low knowledge level in nurses for the care of people with dementia, recognition, and relief of pain, assessing its nature, severity, and influence on the quality of daily life of the patient. Nurses also lack knowledge of special tools for assessing pain, as well as patients’ social and cultural traditions and beliefs. The main barriers are the lack of special training, understanding and segregation of duties between specialists, a large workload, and limited legitimacy. The work of mobile teams, volunteering, and services at home are the basic principles of palliative care, which must be implemented widely.
CONCLUSIONS
At this stage of palliative care development in many countries, there is an urgent need for educational programs for all medical universities and colleges, with particular attention to the cultural characteristics of patients, communication skills, and skills in staged anesthesia. Mobile teams should include nurses trained in additional professional programs on palliative care. Clear segregation of duties, the delegation of authority, and reduced burden on nurses will improve the quality of palliative nursing care.
