Compromised end-of-life syndrome in cancer patients: A clinical validation study

To identify the prevalence of the nursing diagnosis of compromised end-of-life syndrome in patients in end-of-life care.

This is a clinical validation based on a cross-sectional epidemiological clinical study conducted at the National Cancer Institute in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The defining characteristics of a syndrome diagnosis were identified, defined as a "subset of nursing diagnoses," using sensitivity and specificity measures through the application of latent class statistical methods.

The statistical results revealed seven nursing diagnoses characterizing the syndrome: imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirements, nausea, anxiety, ineffective breathing pattern, disturbed sleep pattern, ineffective thermoregulation, and fatigue. Compromised end-of-life syndrome was present in 76% of the sample.

The study demonstrated the presence of compromised end-of-life syndrome in most end-of-life patients from the sample.

Recognizing the presence of the syndrome diagnosis enables nurses to have efficient and effective clinical reasoning for implementing the nursing process in palliative care. CAAE Number: 85415618.0.3001.5274.