Nursing Interventions for Pain and Sleep Management in Cancer Patients Receiving Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Scoping Review.
5 affiliations
- 1Nursing Department, Al-Zaytoonah University, Amman, Jordan.
- 2Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine.
- 3Nursing Program, Batterjee Medical College, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
- 4Department of Biochemistry/Medical Biochemistry, Veritas College of Medicine, Veritas University, Bwari, Nigeria.
- 5Department of Oncology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Abstract
Aim
To map nursing interventions for pain and sleep disturbance among adults receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors and identify assessment and research gaps.Design
A scoping review.Review methods
Eligible sources were charted using a standardized form and descriptively synthesized by intervention type, outcome, study design and evidence stream.Data sources
PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature were searched on 30 November 2025 for English-language sources published from 1 January 2019 to 30 November 2025.Results
We included 10 sources: one randomized clinical trial, four systematic reviews, three of which included meta-analysis, three observational studies, one mixed-methods study and one structured clinical perspective/review. Four sources provided direct evidence from populations receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors, whereas six provided potentially transferable evidence from broader oncology populations. Electronic patient-reported outcome monitoring produced promising findings in one immune checkpoint inhibitor trial. Broader oncology evidence identified potentially transferable pain-management approaches. Two primary studies explicitly reported sleep-related findings, but neither reported using a dedicated, validated sleep-specific instrument. Sleep-related content within broader symptom or quality-of-life assessments was distinguished from dedicated sleep assessment. No included ICI-specific nursing intervention primarily targeted insomnia.Conclusion
Direct evidence for nurse-led pain and sleep interventions during immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment remains limited. Findings from broader oncology populations should not be interpreted as evidence of effectiveness in this population.Implications for the profession and/or patient care
Oncology nurses may consider assessing pain and sleep separately. Future research should incorporate validated sleep measures and explore interventions tailored to patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors.Impact
The study addressed the limited nursing evidence for managing pain and sleep disturbance during immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment. The main findings were the scarcity of direct intervention evidence and the absence of validated sleep-specific assessment. The findings will inform oncology nurses, researchers and services caring for adults receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors.Reporting method
The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews.Patient or public contribution
No patients or members of the public were involved in this review, which was based on published evidence.
Related
- Association of pre-existing cardiovascular disease with cardiovascular and clinical outcomes in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors
- Risk of de novo immune-related adverse events in patients with cancer and autoimmune disease receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors
- The Dynamic Role of Liquid Biopsy in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Receiving Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: Emerging Opportunities and Clinical Challenges
- High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin T and I Discordance in Patients Receiving Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors
- Distinct changes in plasma protein profiles of cancer patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors versus chemotherapy: implications for thrombosis risk and adverse outcomes
BibTeX
@article{alqaisi2026nursing,
title = {{Nursing Interventions for Pain and Sleep Management in Cancer Patients Receiving Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Scoping Review.}},
author = {Omar Alqaisi and Mohammed Dibas and Safia Samir Darwish and Amaechi Dennis and Patricia Tai},
journal = {Nursing open},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1002/nop2.71022},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/43008261},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Nursing Interventions for Pain and Sleep Management in Cancer Patients Receiving Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Scoping Review.
AU - Omar Alqaisi
AU - Mohammed Dibas
AU - Safia Samir Darwish
AU - Amaechi Dennis
AU - Patricia Tai
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/01
JO - Nursing open
DO - 10.1002/nop2.71022
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/43008261
AB - Aim To map nursing interventions for pain and sleep disturbance among adults receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors and identify assessment and research gaps.Design A scoping review.Review methods Eligible sources were charted using a standardized form and descriptively synthesized by intervention type, outcome, study design and evidence stream.Data sources PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature were searched on 30 November 2025 for English-language sources published from 1 January 2019 to 30 November 2025.Results We included 10 sources: one randomized clinical trial, four systematic reviews, three of which included meta-analysis, three observational studies, one mixed-methods study and one structured clinical perspective/review. Four sources provided direct evidence from populations receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors, whereas six provided potentially transferable evidence from broader oncology populations. Electronic patient-reported outcome monitoring produced promising findings in one immune checkpoint inhibitor trial. Broader oncology evidence identified potentially transferable pain-management approaches. Two primary studies explicitly reported sleep-related findings, but neither reported using a dedicated, validated sleep-specific instrument. Sleep-related content within broader symptom or quality-of-life assessments was distinguished from dedicated sleep assessment. No included ICI-specific nursing intervention primarily targeted insomnia.Conclusion Direct evidence for nurse-led pain and sleep interventions during immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment remains limited. Findings from broader oncology populations should not be interpreted as evidence of effectiveness in this population.Implications for the profession and/or patient care Oncology nurses may consider assessing pain and sleep separately. Future research should incorporate validated sleep measures and explore interventions tailored to patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors.Impact The study addressed the limited nursing evidence for managing pain and sleep disturbance during immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment. The main findings were the scarcity of direct intervention evidence and the absence of validated sleep-specific assessment. The findings will inform oncology nurses, researchers and services caring for adults receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors.Reporting method The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews.Patient or public contribution No patients or members of the public were involved in this review, which was based on published evidence.
SN - 2054-1058
ER -