Abstract: Objective To systematically evaluate the experience of patients with end-stage disease, their families and medical staff during the nutritional support decision-making process and provides new ideas for improving decision-making experience of patients and their families. Methods A computer search was conducted for qualitative or hybrid research on nutritional support decision-making process and experience in Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, CNKI, Wanfang and VIP Database. The retrieval period ranged from the inception of the databases to August 2023. The articles were determined based on the PICoS model recommended by the JBI Evidence-based Health Care Center, and the MAXDQA2022 software was used to categorize and integrate the articles. Results A total of ten articles were included in the analysis, resulting in the refinement of 38 themes. These themes were further categorized into nine categories, allowing for the formation of four integrated results: results from multi-dimensional thinking; urgent need for professional support; decisions influenced by decision-makers' cognition, and psychological intervention for decision-makers. Conclusion The nutritional support decision-making for patients with end-stage diseases requires multi-party consultation and communication. The psychological experience of decision-makers should be taken into consideration, and professional support should be provided when needed, thus to improve the experience of patients and their families.

Key words: end stage, nutritional support, decision, qualitative research, Meta-synthesis, evidence-based nursing