Nursing case management in the palliative care: Scoping review

Palliative care is of vital importance for the quality of life of the person who benefits from it. Nursing case management provides useful tools for optimizing the care that is provided, thus being an important resource for improving them in an area as complex as palliative care. This study aimed to map scientific evidence on nursing case management in the context of palliative care.

Scoping review was done according to the eligibility criteria suggested by Joanna Briggs Institute: population (adults who benefit from palliative care), concept (studies in which nursing case management is implemented), and context (studies in the palliative, hospital or home care). The research was conducted in CINAHL (via EBSCO), MEDLINE (via PUBMED), COCHRANE, Scielo, LILACS, and MedicLatina databases; grey literature was researched in RCAAP, DART-Europe, and OpenGrey. Previously published studies in Portuguese, Spanish, English, and French have been included without any temporal limitation.

We included ten articles in the review. Nursing case management is focused on health services management, the centrality of patient/family care, and the case manager role.

The studies included have low evidence levels and a limited sample size. The optimization of resources and services, the greater availability of time for the provision of care, and the satisfaction of the person and family with the care were highlighted. The role of the case manager is highlighted, proving to be very important throughout all the nursing case management.