ArticlePloS one2023
Thirst or dry mouth in dying patients?-A qualitative study of palliative care physicians' experiences.
Article in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.
- Nurses' experiences of ethical challenges concerning thirst in dying patients in specialist palliative care: a qualitative study.BMC palliative care · 2024Article
- Nurses' perception of thirst in patients within palliative home care: a qualitative study.BMC nursing · 2024Article
- The responsibility to quench thirst by providing drinks when a relative is dying spouses' experience in specialist palliative home care.BMC palliative care · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionThirst and dry mouth are common symptoms among patients at the end of life. In palliative care today, there is a focus on mouth care to alleviate thirst. There are no qualitative studies on thirst from a physician's experience, which is why this study is needed. PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore palliative care physicians' experiences and views of thirst in patients at the end of life.
methodsA qualitative interview study with an inductive approach was carried out. Sixteen physicians working in specialised palliative care units in Sweden were included. The interviews were analysed with a reflexive thematic analysis.
resultsThe analysis resulted in three basic assumptions regarding thirst: It is dry mouth, not thirst; patients are dry in their mouth and thirsty; and, I do not know if they are thirsty. Further, four different themes regarding how to relieve thirst appeared: drips will not help thirst but cause harm; the body takes care of thirst itself; drips might help thirst; and, mouth care to relieve thirst or dry mouth.
conclusionsThe palliative care physicians had different experiences regarding thirst, from thirst never arising, to a lack of awareness. They thought good mouth care worked well to alleviate the feeling of thirst and dry mouth. Most physicians did not want to give patients drips, while some did. This study indicates that there are many unanswered questions when it comes to thirst at end-of-life and that further research is needed.
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