Direction of End-of-life Care in Patients With Diabetes

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to clarify the direction of care by reviewing the literature with the aim of developing nursing support guidelines for end-of-life care in diabetic patients. We carefully reviewed 33 papers on end-of-life care for diabetic patients in Japan and overseas and extracted the contents that indicated the "direction of end-of-life care for diabetic patients." Labels were created based on those contents and analyzed by the qualitative integration method (KJ method). As a result, six symbols were derived, and a theory concerning the structure was derived, which required two of them like wheels of vehicle: "Support for maintaining one's health until death: Avoiding acute complications through foot care and adjustment of medication" and "Support for maintaining peace and dignity until death: Symptom control and an empowerment approach focused on the needs of the patients and their families". The results emphasized the importance of diabetes professionals continuing to provide physical support as well as continued care, including psychological, social and spiritual support, and recording and sharing the needs of patients and their families by paying close attention to their desires until the end of life [please check this carefully].