The components of best nursing care for well-dying in people with dementia: A scoping review

Purpose: The aim of this study was to review the best nursing care components for the well-dying of people with dementia. Methods: The scoping review was conducted followed by The Joanna Briggs Institute’s scoping review guidance. The search terms were “dementia,” “well dying,” “end of life,” and “palliative care” in PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Web of science, Google Scholar, Research Information Service System (RISS), and DBpia until April 17, 2024. Inclusion criteria were 1) written in English or Korean; 2) focused on palliative care, end-of-life care, or well-dying for people with dementia; and 3) were available in full text. Thematic analysis was performed with the selected literature. Results: Twenty-seven publications were included. The four main nursing care components and 16 sub-components of well-dying in people with dementia for healthcare providers and caregivers were identified. The four main nursing care components of well-dying in people with dementia for healthcare providers and caregivers were advance care planning, shared decision-making, providing preferred support, and utilizing advanced technology. Conclusion: The four main nursing care components can be used to serve as a basis for future work on policy making or protocol development to improve the lives of people with dementia.