A Novel Approach to Managing Thirst and Dry Mouth in Palliative Care: A Prospective Randomized Cross-Over Trial

Phelan, Caroline; Thorpe, Ms Courtney; Allcroft, Dr Peter; O'Loughlin, Dr Muireann

doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2023.08.005

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…A recent experimental study compared ice chips, the usual mouth care from nursing staff, with mini mint ice cubes and found that 86.6% of patients preferred the mini mint ice cubes. For the sensation of thirst, the plain ice chip intervention group rating decreased 1.7 points (P < 0.006), and ratings for mint ice cubes decreased 3.4 points (P < 0.0001) [22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

The responsibility to quench thirst by providing drinks when a relative is dying spouses’ experience in specialist palliative home care

Friedrichsen,

Waldréus,

Milovanovic

et al. 2023

BMC Palliat Care

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Background Thirst and dry mouth are common symptoms in terminally ill patients. It is known that family members usually request drips for their dying relative. Few studies have focused on thirst in terminally ill patients and their spouses’ experience of this, leading to a knowledge gap in this area. Aim The aim of this study was to explore spouses’ experiences of observing and managing thirst in a dying relative admitted to specialist palliative home care. Methods A qualitative interview study with an inductive approach was conducted. Eighteen spouses caring for their husband or wife admitted to specialist palliative home care in different hospitals in Sweden were interviewed. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed with a reflexive thematic analysis. Results Three main themes emerged regarding spouses’ experiences of patients’ thirst: Knowledge and views of thirst; Control of fluid intake provides vital information; and Taking charge of their drinking is a life and death responsibility. Conclusions Spouses experience a responsibility to serve the dying person with fluids so that they will not get thirsty. It is so obvious and commonplace to them. To be able to fulfil this responsibility, they need to keep track of the patient’s fluid intake and know what quenches thirst. There is a need for research in this area to assist carers and patients in identifying which drinks best quench the patient’s thirst. Interventions are also needed to help provide/make available knowledge on suitable thirst-quenching drinks.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

The responsibility to quench thirst by providing drinks when a relative is dying spouses’ experience in specialist palliative home care

Friedrichsen,

Waldréus,

Milovanovic

et al. 2023

BMC Palliat Care

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show abstract

“…The interventions used in the studies included oral care [ 22 ], saliva substitutes [ 22 , 24 , 25 ], and various approaches to stimulate saliva secretion (i.e., acupuncture [ 23 , 26 ], ice cubes [ 30 ], toothpicks [ 27 ], and pilocarpine [ 21 ]). Of the 11 studies, seven were randomized controlled trials [ 20 , 21 , 24 , 25 , 28 - 30 ], and four were non-randomized trials [ 22 , 23 , 26 , 27 ]. Three of the seven randomized trials were double-blind [ 21 , 24 , 28 ], and five of the 11 trials were crossover studies [ 20 , 21 , 25 , 28 , 30 ].…”

Section: Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Of the 11 studies, seven were randomized controlled trials [ 20 , 21 , 24 , 25 , 28 - 30 ], and four were non-randomized trials [ 22 , 23 , 26 , 27 ]. Three of the seven randomized trials were double-blind [ 21 , 24 , 28 ], and five of the 11 trials were crossover studies [ 20 , 21 , 25 , 28 , 30 ]. The most common method of assessing xerostomia was subjective evaluation using the visual analog scale (VAS) scores or numerical rating scores.…”

Section: Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The authors reported that while both showed significant improvement in xerostomia, there was no clear difference between the two groups. Phelan et al [ 30 ] analyzed a total cohort of 30 patients who received either regular ice cubes (n = 14) or mint-flavored ice cubes (n = 16) and found that the mint ice cubes were more clinically effective.…”

Section: Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The improvement of xerostomia with saline was shown to be highly beneficial in the study by Monsen et al [ 29 ], although no significant difference was demonstrated between saline with or without herbs. In addition, Phelan et al [ 30 ] reported the effectiveness of plain ice cubes as well as ice cubes with mint. The addition of these interventions to oral care could improve xerostomia in palliative care patients.…”

Section: Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Interventional Prospective Studies on Xerostomia in Patients Undergoing Palliative and End-of-Life Care: A Scoping Review

Kakei,

Shimosato,

Soutome

et al. 2024

Cureus

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Non-pharmacological interventions to reduce thirst in patients with heart failure or hemodialysis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Wefer,

Krüger,

Waldréus

et al. 2024

Heart & Lung

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A Novel Approach to Managing Thirst and Dry Mouth in Palliative Care: A Prospective Randomized Cross-Over Trial

Cited by 7 publications

References 36 publications

The responsibility to quench thirst by providing drinks when a relative is dying spouses’ experience in specialist palliative home care

The responsibility to quench thirst by providing drinks when a relative is dying spouses’ experience in specialist palliative home care

Interventional Prospective Studies on Xerostomia in Patients Undergoing Palliative and End-of-Life Care: A Scoping Review

Non-pharmacological interventions to reduce thirst in patients with heart failure or hemodialysis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

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