A palliative nursing strategy to enhance communication and support for patients and families in intensive care units.

Aim: There have been significant advancements in palliative nursing in health services, but less so in intensive care units (ICUs). The purpose of this literature review was to examine palliative nursing care in ICUs and consider how a nursing strategy could improve communication and support for patients and their families.

Method: An exploratory literature review was conducted to evaluate and compare ICU care strategies with palliative support. The search was conducted using CINAHL Plus and Medline All databases and was limited to a 6-year period. Eight publications were selected for review and a full text review was undertaken using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme systematic review checklist.

Results: Two themes emerged around the use of palliative nursing strategies. These were: improving communication between health professionals and patients; and providing support for patients and families.

Conclusions: Palliative nursing has the potential to improve the quality of communication in ICU settings and support for patients and families. Further training and preparation of nurses in palliative care would improve the patient and family experience during a critical and emotional period of health service provision.