A narrative literature review of palliative care regarding patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Yasuko Igai
PMID 30338099WHAT IT FOUND
Most palliative care research in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis describes patient experiences and late referral, not tested interventions.
Qualitative studies reported unmet dyspnoea, anxiety and reluctance about advance care planning.
Key findings
01The review included two mixed-method intervention studies.
02In one included cohort, 38 of 404 decedents had a formal palliative care referral, and 71% were referred within 1 month of death.
03Qualitative interviews reported overwhelming symptom burden and reluctance to engage in advance care planning.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The review had no predefined protocol and relied on one reviewer, so study selection could be biased. The search was limited to English and Japanese studies, so relevant work in other languages may be missing. Most included studies were qualitative, retrospective or case reports, so they cannot show whether palliative care or advance care planning works. Only two intervention studies were included, and they reported mixed results.
Declared interests
The author declared no conflict of interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that early palliative care improves quality of life. Most included studies were qualitative or retrospective, and only two intervention studies were described.