Supervisors info:
Χρυσούλα Λεμονίδου, Καθηγήτρια, Νοσηλευτική, ΕΚΠΑ
Πατηράκη Ελισάβετ, Καθηγήτρια, Νοσηλευτική, ΕΚΠΑ
Κατσαραγάκης Στυλιανός, Επίκουρος καθηγητής, Νοσηλευτική, ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
Introduction: Palliative Care constitutes a philosophy and approach, unknown to
many or remains connected to cancer and the terminal stage of the disease. As a
result, the possibility of implementing palliative care at any stage of a disease, even
during the diagnosis, remains ignored. Diabetes mellitus constitutes a good example,
since it is one of the most common chronic illnesses and one of its complications,
peripheral neuropathy burdens the quality of everyday life of the patients.
Aim: To highlight the contribution of palliative care to the usual care of diabetic
peripheral neuropathy, through a systematic review of the published literature.
Methods: Information was extracted through the following databases: PubMed,
COCHRANE, Science Direct και BioMed Central as well as from grey literature. In
this review, 68 articles were used, which were selected according to PRISMA, an
evidence-based set of items for reporting in systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
Results: Though there was no bibliography found, linking palliative care to diabetic
peripheral neuropathy, there were 68 articles which, analyze the burden that comes
with diabetes and peripheral neuropathy as its complication, in the everyday life of
patients and their relatives,
Conclusions: Diabetic patients and their families are affected by every aspect of total
pain, due to diabetic peripheral neuropathy. It is a chronic disease, that many health
professionals find hard to handle, especially when it comes to the pain. So the
implementation of palliative care plus to the usual care of non-malignant and no lifethreatening diseases, is of great importance, for the chronic patients in need.
Keywords:
Palliative care, Diabetic neuropathy, Diabetes mellitus, Interdisciplinary team, Depression
