Palliative Nursing in Africa: Scoping the Landscape of Evidence Focusing on Cancer Care

The aim of this study was to describe the research output of African's nurses in the field of palliative care from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2021.

A scoping review was conducted. The key words Africa and nursing in combination with palliative care, end of life, terminal care, hospice, and supportive care were used to search the databases Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsychINFO, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Only studies authored by a nurse with an African affiliation focusing on issues related to advanced cancer were included. The data were captured onto an extraction sheet and analyzed by means of descriptive statistics and content analyses.

Of the 522 articles identified, only 16 met the inclusion criteria. The work originated from eight African countries was primarily qualitative and focused on the family and caregivers. Pain was the only symptom investigated.

Studies focusing on symptoms, psychosocial, spiritual, end of life care as well as studies testing nursing interventions are urgently needed. Interregional research could also assist with building the current evidence.