ReviewInternational journal of nursing studies advances2026
Key characteristics of palliative care integration in intensive care units (ICUs): A scoping review.
Review in International journal of nursing studies advances, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Intensive care units (ICUs) are increasingly managing patients with greater clinical complexity and life-limiting conditions. Systematic review evidence highlights that early palliative care, integrated alongside active treatment and not solely at end-of-life, can significantly improve outcomes for both patients and their families. Despite evidence on the effectiveness of palliative care integration models in the ICU setting, the specific characteristics for integration remain poorly articulated and insufficiently understood. Objectives: To systematically map key characteristics of palliative care integration models in adult ICUs. Eligibility criteria: We included integration models/frameworks for palliative care in adult ICUs and excluded studies that reported on stand-alone interventions. We limited the search to studies published from 2015, without restriction on study design or geographic location, to ensure a broad and inclusive review of global evidence. Sources of evidence: A comprehensive search was performed in July 2024 across six data bases: PsycINFO, CINAHL, Excerpta EMBASE, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, and Web of Science in July 2024 Charting Methods: A data extraction table was used to extract relevant information from the included original research and review articles. Data were analysed using thematic analysis approach. Results: We screened 10,262 titles/abstracts, read 980 full-text articles, and ultimately included 60 publications in the final analysis. Thirty-five were original research studies and 25 were review articles, including four systematic reviews. Most research studies originated from the United States (n = 32), with one study each from India, Canada, and Singapore. We identified four key characteristics essential for integrating palliative care in the ICU including:1. Screening criteria: structured tools to identify patients who may benefit from early palliative care alongside ongoing treatment.2. Embedded daily practices: routines focused on symptom assessment, timely family meetings, and proactive palliative needs evaluation.3. Education and training: targeted programs to strengthen ICU clinicians' understanding of palliative care beyond end-of-life.4. Specialist palliative care collaboration Conclusion: This scoping review provides a comprehensive overview of key characteristics of models integrating palliative care into adult ICUs, informing development, implementation, standardisation, and policy decisions. Registration: Open Science Framework: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/CZS26.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.