The Effect of Life Review on Quality of Life in Terminal Stage Patients: A Meta-Analysis

Background: In this final phase of life, when cure is acknowledged to be impossible and alternative efforts to combat the progress of disease are exhausted, enhancing quality of life is the main goal. Life review is to bring peace to the individual through review of the life lived, both relishing accomplishments and resolving conflicts. Objective: The purpose of the study is to assess the quality of life effect of life review in terminally ill people, because there have been no systematic reviews and meta-analysis of life review interventions on Quality of life in terminally population.

Methods: Cochrane Library, PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, CEPS and ProQuest were searched. Screening period from 2007 to March, 2017. Inclusion criteria study used experimental design of life review for terminal people who were older than 18 years old; published in English or Chinese. Meanwhile, studies which measured quality of life other than the patients and unpublished papers or data would be excluded. Searching terms included life review, end of life, terminal or terminally ill, palliative, hospice, and quality of life. Each study’s quality according to the Downs ＆ Black’s checklist.

Results: Five trials were included in the review which 272 subjects were identified. The countries of studies included Japan, North Carolina and China. Life review had statistical effect on quality of life (95% CI: 1.147 to 2.809, Z= 4.666, p < 0.001). The selected articles had high heterogeneity (I²=81.8333, p< 0.001).

Conclusions: Life review had significant effect on quality of life, there are few studies evaluating life review therapy in terminal patients. Further studies are requested that use stricter selection criteria to show efficacy before these interventions are adopted into clinical practice. The most importantly, life review should build standard procedure to make sure the effectiveness. However, we need to pay more attention on terminal patients who have psychological/emotional needs.