Literature Review: Depression in Palliative Care Patients

Abstract

<p>Problem: There is a high level of depression in the Palliative Care Patient population that goes undiagnosed and untreated. Purpose: This literature review evaluates articles and research studies available discussing the presence, risk factors, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of depression in the palliative care patient population. Objectives: Identify areas where the research and knowledge is lacking and make recommendations for further research. Identify areas of clinical practice affected by the findings discussed in the articles and what nurses should know. Approach: Select and evaluate recent articles for content as well as quality of research processes. Results: Research shows that there is an increase in the prevalence of depression in the palliative care population, a large percent undiagnosed. There are a variety of risk factors contributing to the development of depression and several tools are currently be adapted to screen for depression in the palliative care populations addressing population specific concerns. Treatment includes psychotherapies and antidepressant pharmaceuticals; however research is limited due to the physical condition of the patients. Conclusion: There are several recommendations for further research in this area. The first is developing a screening tool that is quick, efficient, and is easy for even severely debilitated patients to complete. The second, to examine the benefits and side effects of pharmaceuticals in the population addressed within ethical parameters. Third is education of nurses in current literature and available tools and the application among nurses to decrease the number of patients whose depression goes unrecognized and therefore untreated.</p><p>This presentation occurred at the Wright State University Campus-Wide Celebration of Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities on April 16, 2010</p>