Abstract:

Objective To conduct a scoping review on the application of hospice counseling in cancer patients，and provide a reference for developing the hospice counseling programs for cancer patients. Methods We systematically searched the literature on palliative care counseling for cancer patients in Cochrane Library，PubMed，CINAHL，Embase，Web of Science，CNKI，Wanfang，and CBM databases after clarifying the research question. The search period was from the establishment of the database to May 2023. Then we selected literature according to inclusion and exclusion criteria，and extracted，summarized，and analyzed the content of the included literature. Results A total of 12，572 relevant papers were searched，and 18 of them were finally included，including 12 retrospective studies，three descriptive studies，and three prospective studies. Hospice consultation for cancer patients is carried out by the judgment of the attending physician，triggered tools assessment and the patient’s active request. The consultation time generally occurred within 1-3 months before end-of-life. About 4-8 cancer-related symptoms are involved in the consultation process，and the consultation location is mostly conducted in hospital wards followed by outpatient settings. Palliative care consultations can increase referral rates for palliative care while reducing unplanned hospital admissions，intensive care unit occupancy rates，and among others. However，due to barriers from patients，healthcare professionals，and a lack of triggering criteria，many unmet palliative needs exist among cancer patients. Conclusion The trigger criteria for hospice consultation for cancer patients lacks specificity，the timing of counseling is often delayed，and the counseling process needs to be further explored. In the future，further multidisciplinary randomized controlled trials or prospective studies should be conducted to explore the optimal timing of hospice consultation for patients，and to develop appropriate triggering criteria and counseling processes based on different cancer types.

Key words: Hospice care, Consultation, Cancer patients, Scoping review