Mapping Palliative Care and Support Interventions for Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Scoping Review

Background. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive disease that impacts respiratory function, activity tolerance, psychological well-being, pain levels, and quality of life. This scoping review aims to map the supportive and palliative care interventions that have been studied in patients with COPD, describe the populations, characteristics of the interventions, outcomes, and settings, and identify gaps in the evidence relevant to nursing practice and future research. Research Methods. This scoping review using the PICOST framework (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, Study Design, and Time) to formulate the review question and determine the eligibility criteria. The literature search will be conducted using five main database: PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. Google Scholar will be used as a supplementary source. The review will include literature published between January 2021 and October 2026. The study selection process will involve title and abstract screening, full-text assessment, and data charting based on the established eligibility criteria. Findings. The compilation includes eight intervention studies and one previous scoping review. Interventions included oxygen therapy, high-flow nasal cannula, inhaler adherence education, smartphone-based rehabilitation, music therapy, and muscle energy techniques. Outcomes evaluated included oxygenation, dyspnea, functional capacity, anxiety, pain, and quality of life. Heterogeneity in design, interventions, and instruments limits comparisons between studies. Conclusion. Supportive and palliative approaches have the potential to support comprehensive COPD symptom management. However, a systematic and replicable scoping review is needed to strengthen evidence synthesis and determine research and nursing practice priorities.