Table 2.

Studies' characteristics.

First Author, year, Country	Working definition(s) of ELDVs	Aim(s)	Design	Setting	Sample Type and Size	Data Collection	Data Analysis	Ethical Issues	Summary of Findings	CASP
Grant, 2014, USA	Since ancient times, people have recorded dreams and visions experienced by individuals at the end of their lives. Often during these dreams, the dying individual experiences deceased family, friends or religious figures	Document hospice patients’ ELDV experiences over time using a daily survey	Mixed-methods longitudinal study	Hospice inpatient unit	59 hospice patients with cancer, congestive heart failure, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, urinary tract infection	453 interviews	Not reported	Sixty-six patients admitted to a hospice inpatient unit between Jan 2011 and Jul 2012 provided informed consent and participated in the study	Most participants reported at least one dream or vision and almost half of the dreams and visions occurred during sleep. Nearly all patients reported that their experience felt real. The most common content featured deceased friends and relatives, followed by living friends and relatives. As participants approached death, comforting dreams, and visions of the deceased became more prevalent	Low quality
Kerr, 2014, USA	These experiences may involve visual, auditory and/or kinesthetic experiences, with visions occurring during a wakeful state or dreams occurring during sleep. These end-of-life dreams and visions (ELDVs) are often deeply comforting and profoundly meaningful for patients and their families. These experiences can occur months, weeks, days or hours before death and typically reduce fear of dying, making transition from life to death easier for those experiencing them	Examine the content and subjective significance of ELDVs
		Relate the prevalence, content and significance of end-of-life experiences over time until death
Nosek, 2015, USA	End-of-life dreams and visions are well documented and have been reported throughout different cultures and recorded across history.5,12 people nearing the end of life often experience increasingly vivid and memorable dreams.12 this observation is consistent with the hypothesis that dreams, and visions are intrinsic to the transition from life to death.16 most research indicates that ELDVs occur near death with the time frame ranging from hours, days, weeks, or even months prior to death	To address the noted gap through direct patient interviews. To gain greater understanding of the ELDVs	Mixed-method design	Hospice inpatient unit	63 hospice patients with cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, dementia, chronic kidney disease, and other conditions	Interviews	Inductive content analysis	The study was reviewed and approved by the social and behavioral sciences institutional	Six categories emerged: Comforting presence, preparing to go, watching or engaging with the deceased, loved ones waiting, distressing experiences, and unfinished business	Medium quality
								Review board of the state university of New York at buffalo (buffalo, NY)
Dam, 2016. India	End-of-life dreams and visions (ELDVs) are not uncommon and are experienced by many near the time of death. It is estimated that 50-60% of conscious dying patients experience ELDVs. The most prevalent ELDVs reported are those in which the dying patients describe seeing deceased family, friends, or religious figures. These visions can occur months, weeks, days, or hours before death	To assess the incidence and nature of ELDVs in India, with its rich cultural, spiritual, and religious heritage, and to compare the nature of ELDVs experienced between the rural and urban population	Prospective, cohort-based, with a mixed-methods research design	Home-based care in rural and urban settings of India	60 patients were interviewed at home. The mean age was 55.16 years with a standard deviation of 17.30. There were more females (56.6%) than males. 30% were from rural settings. Cancer was the primary diagnosis in 81.6% cases	Close- and open-ended questions within a questionnaire. The interview was carried out in an unhurried manner with minimal disturbance as far as practicable, in Bengali, Hindi, or English	Content analysis	Not reported	ELDVs are not uncommon in India and the incidence does not differ significantly between rural and urban population. The participants found them to be distressing initially, but felt better after discussing it with the team. There was a direct correlation between severity of symptoms and occurrence and frequency of ELDVs. The persons visualized in ELDVs did not threaten or scare the patient and the known persons visualized were seen as they were in their prime of health	Low
Nyblom, 2021, Sweden	One aspect of spirituality that has been reported in and fascinated many cultures throughout history are phenomena occurring months to hours before death,7-10 termed end-of-life experiences (ELEs). These experiences can be visual, auditory and/or kinesthetic,8 often including visions of deceased loved ones while awake or vivid dreams during sleep.9,11,12 experiences of going on journeys are prevalent and interpreted by some as the approach of death.7 in the majority of cases they are perceived as positive, meaningful8,9 and, in helping patients prepare for their impending death,8,13 inherent to the process of dying	To investigate if end-of-life experiences in the form of dreams, visions and/or inner experiences, are reported directly by Swedish patients, oriented in time, place and person and receiving palliative end-of-life care. If so, what do ELEs contain and what are patients’ subjective experiences of them	Qualitative study	Advanced end-of-life palliative care at home or in three hospice inpatient units	25 end-of-life patients (with cancer) admitted to advanced end-of-life palliative care at home or in three hospice inpatient units	One-on-one, face-to-face, semi-structured, in-depth interviews	Qualitative content analysis	This study was approved by the regional ethical review board in gothenburg (no. 999-17; date of approval: 2018-02-12)	Four themes were identified: Vivid dreams while asleep, experiences while awake, references to medical circumstances and communication about end-of-life experiences. Prevalent content was deceased and living loved ones and journeys. Some patients distinguished between hallucinations/nightmares and end-of-life experiences	High quality
Wright, 2015, USA	The limited data regarding end-of-life dreams suggest that they often reflect issues of grief and loss brought on by approaching death. Studies also suggest that these experiences include common themes such as seeing deceased loved ones sitting by the bedside or coming to take the dying person away, resolution of psychological “baggage,” and comfort in the face of death. These studies describe commonalities in the manifestation and impact of dreams at the end of life and suggest that vivid dreams are not only common during the dying process but may also influence existential well-being and may play a role in psychological preparation for death. Palliative care clinicians often view dreaming as an intrinsic part of the dying process, which assists people in reconciling their lives, completing “unfinished business,” and coming to terms with approaching death	To conduct a preliminary exploration into the process and therapeutic outcomes of meaning-centered dreamwork with hospice patients	Mixed methods	Hospice	7 hospice patients with lung cancer, colon cancer, ovarian cancer, cerebellar ataxia, adult failure to thrive, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease	Audio-recorded longitudinally dream-work sessions	Consensual qualitative research (CQR) method (hill, C.E. (ed.). (2012). Consensual qualitative research: A practical resource for investigating social science phenomena. Washington, DC: American psychological association.)	This study was approved by the institutional review board at the state university of New York at buffalo	Participants’ dreams generally featured familiar settings and living family and friends. Reported images from dreams were usually connected to feelings, relationships, and the concerns of waking life. Participants typically interpreted their dreams as meaning that they needed to change their way of thinking, address legacy concerns, or complete unfinished business. Generally, participants developed and implemented action plans based on these interpretations, despite their physical limitations. Participants described dream-work sessions as meaningful, comforting, and helpful. High scores on a measure of gains from dream interpretations were reported, consistent with qualitative findings. No adverse effects were reported or indicated by assessments	High quality