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Characteristics of Provider-Focused Research on Complementary and Integrative Medicine in Palliative Care: A Scoping Review.

The American journal of hospice & palliative care
March 1, 2022
Anurag Ratan Goel et al. (4 authors)
Journal ArticleScoping ReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to characterize provider-focused research on complementary and integrative medicine (CIM), including massage, in palliative care to map existing evidence and identify knowledge gaps.

Results Summary

The study identified massage as one of the most investigated CIM modalities (n = 13), used to address common symptoms like pain (n = 17), fatigue (n = 6), and nausea/vomiting (n = 6). Outcomes included perceived benefits of CIM (n = 17) and types of CIM modalities providers offer (n = 15).

Population

Palliative care providers, primarily nurses (n = 29) and physicians (n = 22).

Effective Dosage

Not available

Duration

Not available

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (9)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
massage
neutral
pain
palliative care patients
-
addressed
#1
massage
neutral
fatigue
palliative care patients
-
addressed
#2
massage
neutral
nausea/vomiting
palliative care patients
-
addressed
#3
music therapy
neutral
pain
palliative care patients
-
addressed
#4
music therapy
neutral
fatigue
palliative care patients
-
addressed
#5
music therapy
neutral
nausea/vomiting
palliative care patients
-
addressed
#6
aromatherapy
neutral
pain
palliative care patients
-
addressed
#7
aromatherapy
neutral
fatigue
palliative care patients
-
addressed
#8
aromatherapy
neutral
nausea/vomiting
palliative care patients
-
addressed
#9
Abstract

BACKGROUND: The use of complementary and integrative medicine (CIM) continues to grow in palliative care. While research supports the use of many CIM therapies for symptom relief, the scope of provider-focused research on CIM remains poorly characterized. OBJECTIVES: We conducted a scoping review to characterize provider-focused research on CIM in palliative care in order to map existing evidence and identify knowledge gaps. METHODS: We developed a protocol outlining the study population, concept, and context; then used a validated approach per the JBI manual and searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and AMED. RESULTS: We identified 34 studies that were conducted primarily in the US (n = 9) and UK (n = 6), focused mostly on nurse (n = 29) and physician (n = 22) providers, and employed questionnaires (n = 16) or qualitative (n = 15) methods. Studies investigated 58 CIM modalities, including massage (n = 13), music therapy (n = 12), and aromatherapy (n = 10), to address common symptoms including pain (n = 17), fatigue (n = 6), and nausea/vomiting (n = 6). Study outcomes included perceived benefits of CIM (n = 17) and types of CIM modalities that providers offer (n = 15). Uncommonly studied phenomena included referral patterns (n = 4), facilitators of provider recommendation of CIM (n = 3), and rates of CIM use (n = 3). CONCLUSION: Provider-focused research on CIM in palliative care can expand its scope by addressing perspectives of interdisciplinary providers, examining CIM modalities that patients report using, addressing symptoms commonly encountered in palliative care, and researching provider-use-focused outcomes. We identify these possibilities for future studies in addition to opportunities for systematic investigations to enhance the safe and efficacious delivery of CIM in the palliative care setting.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
Hospice and Palliative Care NursingHumansIntegrative MedicinePainPain ManagementPalliative Care
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy75/10
Quality80/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations4
Citations/Year1.3
Relative Citation Ratio0.87
NIH Percentile45%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.50
Weight Score2.47
Normalized Score0.66
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