Assessment and Treatment Considerations for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at End of Life.
Debra M Glick, Joan M Cook, Jennifer Moye and 1 others
PMID 29463090WHAT IT FOUND
End-of-life PTSD can appear or worsen near death and be missed as dementia, delirium, pain, or normal dying.
The review recommends brief screening, avoiding triggers, and stepped, tailored care.
Key findings
01PTSD symptoms may first appear or worsen as people approach death, and end-of-life distress may be attributed to normal dying rather than trauma.
02Standard PTSD instruments are not validated at end of life, and dementia, delirium, and pain can make recognition harder.
03Standard trauma-focused therapies may be too taxing and conflict with palliation, and the review's stepped model has not been tested for efficacy or effectiveness.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The supplied text does not report original participants, methods, or results, so it cannot be treated as a trial. Most PTSD treatment evidence comes from younger or middle-aged adults, and very little research involves people at end of life. The stepwise model has clinical support from case examples but has not been tested for efficacy or effectiveness. Standard PTSD instruments are not validated at end of life, and cognitive impairment, delirium, and pain can obscure symptoms.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The supplied text does not report a funding source.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that any PTSD treatment works at end of life. The review says standard trauma-focused therapies may increase distress and conflict with palliation, and stepped or modified approaches are proposed but not tested.