Educating the Existential View to Nurses in Cancer Care: A Review

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Existential Psychology
• Oncology Nursing

Background:

• Existential concepts are crucial for effective cancer care.
• Nurses require specialized education to address the complex needs of cancer patients.
• Existing literature on interventional studies for nurses in cancer care needs review.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review interventional studies on educating nurses in existential concepts for cancer care.
• To synthesize findings on the impact of existential education on nurses' practice and well-being.
• To identify gaps and limitations in current research.

Main Methods:

• Systematic narrative review of English and Farsi studies (1990-2018).
• Searched multiple databases including PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar.
• Assessed methodological quality using established checklists; no statistical pooling due to heterogeneity.

Main Results:

• Seventeen studies were included in the review.
• Existential concept education enhanced nurses' self-competency and decision-making in cancer care.
• Improved quality of life and reduced death anxiety and emotional exhaustion were observed.

Conclusions:

• Limited and low-quality interventional studies exist on this topic.
• Existential philosophy education can improve nurses' ability to meet cancer patients' needs.
• Specific educational methods or content cannot be recommended due to methodological diversity.