Argin Malakian1, Shan Mohammed2, Rouhi Fazelzad3, Rand Ajaj4, Angelina Artemenko5, Samantha J Mayo6. 1. Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, 155 College St., Suite 130, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1P8, Canada; University Health Network (UHN)- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Suite 15-503, 610 University Ave, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2C1, Canada. Electronic address: argin.malakian@mail.utoronto.ca. 2. Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, 155 College St., Suite 130, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1P8, Canada. Electronic address: shan.mohammed@utoronto.ca. 3. Library and Information Services, University Health Network (UHN)- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, 610 University Ave, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2C1, Canada. Electronic address: rouhi.fazelzad@uhn.ca. 4. Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, 155 College St., Suite 130, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1P8, Canada. Electronic address: rand.ajaj@mail.utoronto.ca. 5. Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, 155 College St., Suite 130, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1P8, Canada. Electronic address: Angelina.Artemenko2@uhn.ca. 6. Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, 155 College St., Suite 130, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1P8, Canada; University Health Network (UHN)- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Suite 15-503, 610 University Ave, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2C1, Canada. Electronic address: samantha.mayo@utoronto.ca.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Many individuals with advanced cancer have unmet psychological needs and often lack access to supportive care. Psychotherapy for adults with advanced cancer is a promising way to address some of the challenges in meeting these care needs. Nurses are the largest cohort of healthcare workers who can practice as psychotherapists and are positioned ideally to integrate these interventions as part of routine care. The purpose of this scoping review is to map the literature on psychotherapeutic interventions among adults with advanced cancer and to explore the nursing role in this body of evidence. METHODS: We conducted a scoping review for relevant quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies. The content of included studies was analyzed and grouped based on two broad categories that describe how nursing's role was mentioned, described, and utilized: 1. Nurses are not the interventionist/psychotherapist and, 2. Nurses are mentioned as the interventionist/psychotherapist. RESULTS: Eighty-six studies were included. Overall, majority of studies did not mention a role for nursing in any capacity. Some studies mentioned a non-interventionist role for nursing in the research study. Fourteen studies mentioned nurses as interventionists/psychotherapists. These studies focused on feasibility, acceptability and patient related outcomes of brief psychotherapies. Dignity therapy was the most common psychotherapy in studies where nurses were utilized as interventionists, followed by life review and supportive expressive therapies. Very few studies discussed nursing's role in this area and nursing's capacity to deliver this form of care. CONCLUSION: There is paucity in nursing research focused on psychotherapy for adults with advanced cancer. It is feasible and acceptable for nurses to deliver brief psychotherapies to adults with advanced cancer, and the integration of these techniques in everyday practice has great potential that must be explored. The development of this knowledge base is needed to support future education, research, and practice policy agendas.
PURPOSE: Many individuals with advanced cancer have unmet psychological needs and often lack access to supportive care. Psychotherapy for adults with advanced cancer is a promising way to address some of the challenges in meeting these care needs. Nurses are the largest cohort of healthcare workers who can practice as psychotherapists and are positioned ideally to integrate these interventions as part of routine care. The purpose of this scoping review is to map the literature on psychotherapeutic interventions among adults with advanced cancer and to explore the nursing role in this body of evidence. METHODS: We conducted a scoping review for relevant quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies. The content of included studies was analyzed and grouped based on two broad categories that describe how nursing's role was mentioned, described, and utilized: 1. Nurses are not the interventionist/psychotherapist and, 2. Nurses are mentioned as the interventionist/psychotherapist. RESULTS: Eighty-six studies were included. Overall, majority of studies did not mention a role for nursing in any capacity. Some studies mentioned a non-interventionist role for nursing in the research study. Fourteen studies mentioned nurses as interventionists/psychotherapists. These studies focused on feasibility, acceptability and patient related outcomes of brief psychotherapies. Dignity therapy was the most common psychotherapy in studies where nurses were utilized as interventionists, followed by life review and supportive expressive therapies. Very few studies discussed nursing's role in this area and nursing's capacity to deliver this form of care. CONCLUSION: There is paucity in nursing research focused on psychotherapy for adults with advanced cancer. It is feasible and acceptable for nurses to deliver brief psychotherapies to adults with advanced cancer, and the integration of these techniques in everyday practice has great potential that must be explored. The development of this knowledge base is needed to support future education, research, and practice policy agendas.
Authors: Megan Delisle; Margaret Fitch; Kalki Nagaratnam; Ying Wang; Amirrtha Srikanthan Journal: Support Care Cancer Date: 2022-09-20 Impact factor: 3.359