ArticlePloS one2025
Towards a definition of an existential approach in cancer patients: a co-produced scoping review.
Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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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.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- The Personhood Pentadigm: A transcultural framework for analyzing existential distress in palliative care.International journal of nursing sciences · 2026Article
- Patients' Voices of Care Encounters and Organisational Influences on Existential Suffering in Cancer Care: A Qualitative Study.Scandinavian journal of caring sciences · 2026Article
- The Protective Role of Emotional Intelligence Against Occupational Burnout in Oncology Nursing: A Cross-Sectional Analysis in Saudi Arabian Hospitals.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAttention to existential needs has become part of daily treatment. Studies have described the concepts of existential experiences and existential interventions. However, a consensus or conceptual clarity regarding an existential approach in cancer patients is currently missing. This scoping review investigates the term existential approach and suggests a definition.
methodsWe searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and PsycINFO databases until March 2024. We used the Joanna Briggs Institute guidance, and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews to conduct the review in a systematic manner. The review was conducted in collaboration with patient colleagues who were diagnosed with cancer. Two categories were included: 1) articles investigating elements that are present in existential approaches according to patients and 2) articles investigating elements that are not yet present in existential approaches but recommended by patients.
results2791 articles were identified for title and abstract screening, of which 90 were screened for full text. Seventeen articles were eligible for inclusion. Elements were identified that led to the following definition of an existential approach: 'Medical practice based on a holistic and interdisciplinary view wherein the personal alliance provides room for mutual sharing of thoughts, acknowledging existential issues besides medical issues, whilst paying attention to personal values and what matters most'.
conclusionsThis definition provides a framework and therefore makes an existential approach more applicable. Different healthcare providers (e.g., nurses/physicians) can be part of an existential approach. To provide an existential approach in daily treatment, future studies should focus on training in communication skills.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.