Management of malignant wound pruritus: scoping review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29352/mill0221e.36841Keywords:
malignant wound; pruritus; nursing care; palliative careAbstract
Introduction: Pruritus associated with malignant wounds (MW) can cause significant discomfort for patients in Palliative Care (PC), although it is sometimes undervalued as a symptom. The difficulty in controlling pruritus and the limited scientific evidence hinder nurses’ interventions in this area.
Objective: To identify assessment strategies for pruritus in people with MW in PC, and to analyze nursing interventions for the prevention and management of pruritus associated with MW in patients receiving PC.
Methods: Scoping Review (ScR), following the methodological guidelines for report writing as described by the JBI. To formulate the research question and guide the initial search process, the Population, Concept, and Context mnemonic was used. In addition, the PRISMA-ScR flowchart and checklist for ScR reports were adopted.
Results: The search resulted in the inclusion of 15 articles published between 2002 and 2023. A synthesis was performed to interpret the findings. Conceptual maps illustrating the nursing assessment process were identified, as well as preventive and management interventions for pruritus in individuals with MW.
Conclusion: Considering that treatment related to MW is predominantly palliative, the prevention and management of pruritus contribute to the comfort and quality of life of patients and their families. Thus, formal assessment combined with clinical judgment supports both pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies for pruritus control.
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