• Hrønn Thorn and Lisbeth Uhrenfeldt.
• 1Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Horsens Regional Hospital, Horsens, Denmark 2Department of Research, Horsens Regional Hospital, Horsens, Denmark 3Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark 4Danish Center of Systematic Reviews: a Joanna Briggs Institute Centre of Excellence, the Center of Clinical Guidelines - Clearing House, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark 5Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, Nord University, Bodø, Norway.
• JBI Database System Rev Implement Rep. 2017 Jun 1; 15 (6): 1711-1746.

BackgroundNon-specialist nurses, who are providing palliative end-of-life cancer care to patients and significant others undergoing psychosocial and existential transitions, may experience dissatisfaction, frustration and sorrow. On the other hand, they may also experience happiness, increased knowledge and personal growth.Objective/QuestionWhat are non-specialist nurses' experiences when providing palliative end-of-life cancer care that involves the psychosocial and existential transitions of their patients and significant others?Inclusion Criteria Types Of ParticipantsThe current review considered studies that included a description of the experiences of non-specialist trained registered nurses (RNs) working in non-specialist wards.Phenomena Of InterestThe current review considered studies that investigated experiences of RNs when providing palliative end-of-life cancer care that involves the psychosocial and existential transitions of their patients and significant others.ContextThe contact and care for patients and their significant others during palliative end-of-life cancer care.Types Of StudiesThe current review considered studies that focused on qualitative data including, but not limited to, designs such as phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, action research and feminist research.Search StrategyThe search aimed at finding both published and unpublished studies in English, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish and German, and was unrestricted by time. Eleven electronic databases and seven websites were searched.Methodological QualityMethodological validity of the qualitative papers was assessed independently by two reviewers using the standardized critical appraisal instruments from the Joanna Briggs Institute Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-QARI).Data ExtractionData were extracted from papers included in the review using the standardized data extraction tool from the JBI-QARI.Data SynthesisQualitative research findings were synthesized using the JBI-QARI.ResultsA total of 81 findings were extracted from the three studies and allocated to five categories and merged into a meta-synthesis with the overarching synthesized finding related to the challenges that non-specialist nurses faced when providing palliative end-of-life cancer care. The summary of findings is illustrated below.ConclusionThe studies in this review provided useful and credible statements from non-specialist nurses working in non-specialist wards about their challenges when providing palliative end-of-life cancer care to patients and their significant others undergoing psychosocial and existential transitions.

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