Abstract
The objective of this study is to clarify the thoughts of family members of end-of-life cancer patients about terminal care and patients' deaths based on the national literature. Studies published from April 2007 to March 2020 were searched using the online version of the database of the Japan Medical Abstract Society by combining the keywords ‘cancer,’ ‘terminal care or terminal,’ and ‘family’ with ‘psychology’ or ‘mind’ or ‘thoughts.’ Thirty-eight articles were ultimately extracted, and descriptions of family members' thoughts about terminal care and patient deaths were analyzed qualitatively and inductively. As a result, three categories of thoughts on nursing at a deathbed held by family members of patients with end-of-life cancer were extracted: ‘wanting to get closer and devote oneself to the patient to ensure a calm end to life,’ ‘anguish over nursing the patient who is approaching death,’ and ‘hoping for the slight possibility of the patient living.’ As a suggestion for nursing, the necessity of the following forms of support was clarified: aid that promotes anticipatory grief according to the individual, empathy for the complex thoughts of the family, and the need for involvement so that the family feels that they are doing something to the patient.
