Abstract
Introduction: In the scenario of nutritional therapy and religiosity/spirituality (R/S), several factors can impact the nutritional status of patients in palliative care. These include knowledge of nutrition, the level of emotional support required for the patient, their motivation, and the nature, impact, and severity of the illness. A diet suitable for weight stabilization provides patients with the energy necessary to meet physical, psychological, social, and R/E aspects. Objective: It was to carry out a concise systematic review to present the main clinical outcomes and discussions about the impacts of religiosity/spirituality in patients with palliative care undergoing nutritional therapy. Methods: The PRISMA Platform systematic review rules were followed. The search was carried out from August to October 2024 in the Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, Scielo, and Google Scholar databases. The quality of the studies was based on the GRADE instrument and the risk of bias was analyzed according to the Cochrane instrument. Results and Conclusion: A total of 91 articles were found, and 24 articles were evaluated in full, and 17 were included and developed in the present systematic review study. Considering the Cochrane tool for risk of bias, the overall assessment resulted in 15 studies with a high risk of bias and 25 studies that did not meet GRADE and AMSTAR-2. Most studies showed homogeneity in their results, with X2=72.8%>50%. It was concluded that when the natural oral intake of food and liquids is disturbed, the role of caregivers is to assist the patient in covering the individual's nutritional needs through nutritional therapy and religiosity and spirituality as metabolic and immunological stimuli. Nutritional therapy requires indication to achieve a treatment goal and informed consent from the patient. The suspension and withdrawal of nutritional therapy and artificial hydration must be evaluated in specific situations (terminally ill, palliative care, dementia, elderly patients) and always on a case-by-case basis, according to the cultural and spiritual needs of the patients. Caregivers must emphasize the right to self-determination and therefore respect the patient's autonomy, and also the particular vulnerability of the patient who suffers from or is at risk of malnutrition.