SynthesisJournal of clinical nursing2026
The Experience of Care in People With Palliative Needs and Their Families: A Qualitative Metasynthesis.
Synthesis in Journal of clinical nursing, 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
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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
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
aimTo synthesise and reinterpret qualitative evidence on how people with palliative care needs and their family caregivers experience the care process.
backgroundPalliative care aims to provide holistic, person- and family-centred care. Although qualitative research has explored multiple aspects of end-of-life care, existing knowledge remains fragmented, limiting its translation into coherent, humanised, and clinically applicable nursing care models.
designA qualitative systematic review with interpretive meta-synthesis.
methodsA qualitative meta-synthesis was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Systematic searches were performed in PubMed, CINAHL, and Scopus for studies published between 2014 and 2024, in English or Spanish, involving adults with palliative care needs and/or their family caregivers from OECD countries. A total of 3232 records were identified. Following screening and full-text review, 13 qualitative studies were included. Methodological quality was appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist. Findings were synthesised through an interpretive approach using reflexive thematic analysis.
resultsThe care experience is configured as a dynamic, relational, and non-linear process, characterised by emotional, physical, and social demands. Family caregivers report a substantial caregiving burden, often exacerbated by a lack of support, constrained resources, and communication challenges with healthcare teams. From the perspective of people with palliative care needs, the experience of care is closely linked to respect for autonomy, preservation of identity, and the quality of relational presence. Dignity emerges as a cross-cutting theme, strengthened or undermined by nursing practices, interpersonal interactions, and organisational contexts.
conclusionEffective palliative care requires relational nursing practices that uphold dignity and support the family as a unit of care. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Nursing practice must systematically integrate relational competencies to preserve patient identity and support the family as a care unit. Bureaucratic healthcare structures often act as active barriers to care, necessitating organisational redesign to support family accompaniment.
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