Palliative care for cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: A narrative synthesis from 36 studies of 16 countries

Abstract

Background: During the COVID-19 epidemic, palliative care has become even more indispensable for cancer patients.

Aim: To identify the changes in palliative care for cancer patients and improvements in palliative care quality during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design: A systematic review and narrative synthesis was conducted in PubMed, Embase and Web of Science. An evaluation tool using mixed methods was used to assess the quality of the study. The main relevant themes identified were used to group qualitative and quantitative findings.

Results: A total of 36 studies were identified, primarily from different countries, with a total of 14,427 patients, 238 caregivers and 354 health care providers. Cancer palliative care has been experiencing several difficulties following the COVID-19 pandemic, including increased mortality and infection rates as well as delays in patient treatment that have resulted in poorer prognoses. Treatment providers are seeking solutions such as electronic management of patients and integration of resources to care for the mental health of patients and staff. Telemedicine plays an important role in many ways but cannot completely replace traditional treatment. Clinicians strive to meet patients' palliative care needs during special times and improve their quality of life.

Conclusions: Palliative care faces unique challenges during the COVID-19 epidemic. With adequate support to alleviate care-related challenges, patients in the home versus hospital setting will be able to receive better palliative care. In addition, this review highlights the importance of multiparty collaboration to achieve personal and societal benefits of palliative care.

Patient or public contribution: No Patient or Public Contribution.

Keywords: COVID-19; cancer; palliative care; systematic review.