Abstract

MONTALVO-PRIETO, Amparo; CABRERA-NANCLARES, Boris  and  QUINONES-ARRIETA, Sandra. Chronic Illness and Suffering: A Literature Review. Aquichan [online]. 2012, vol.12, n.2, pp.134-143. ISSN 1657-5997.

A literature review was conducted for an insight into the progress nursing has made with respect to the care of chronically ill patients, their families and their suffering, as well as the instruments proposed to measure it. The review was based on several descriptors; namely, suffering, instruments, chronically ill, nursing (limited to the chronically ill person who is suffering), and the scale used to evaluate it. The SciELO, NursingConsult, Redalyc, Dialnet, and EBSCOhost databases were searched, and a total of 116 articles were reviewed. Out of that group, 40 articles dealing with chronicity and its emotional impact on persons, suffering, nursing care and the instruments used to measure it were selected. The results of the search show the limited amount of research nursing has done on this topic, although they do underscore how important it is for the discipline to understand the suffering of patients in a chronic condition, so as to provide comprehensive care for the person as a whole, with dignified and humanized treatment, and to reinforce, through research, the care given to patients with physical and emotional suffering.

Keywords : Chronic Disease; Pain; Pain Management.

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