Introduction: With palliative care we aim to ensure the highest possible quality of remaining life and a dignified passing. Physiotherapy is of great interest in palliative care. Therapeutic exercise is gaining interest in the field of rehabilitation of cancer patients and in the field of palliative care in general. Physical activity and a proper diet can contribute significantly to maintaining the well-being and improving the quality of life. Rehabilitation that includes exercise is now considered an effective way to restore physical and mental functioning. Purpose: The purpose of the thesis was to determine the influence of physiotherapy in the process of palliative care. Methods: The chosen method was the strategy of secondary data analysis. Web resources were found through the PubMed and PEDro article databases. Different types of interventions were recorded throughout the studies; the studies examined in the thesis researched the effectiveness of various physiotherapeutic techniques and procedures, which aimed to improve patients’ well-being. The selection includes studies with one intervention and one control group as well as studies with two intervention groups. Study articles were assessed according to the criteria of the PEDro rating scale. Results: On the basis of the criteria, 11 research studies were included in the thesis. The literature review has shown that a combination of massage and therapeutic exercises may alleviate pain and improve the mood of patients with terminal cancer (palliative patients). A significant impact was detected primarily on the current pain level and also on the highest pain level, as well as a tendency to alleviate pain on average. However, it was also determined that physiotherapy benefits too few patients; less than 40 % of patients from the palliative care unit are being referred to physiotherapy. While therapeutic exercises influence the quality of life components, neuromuscular electrical stimulation is not suitable for palliative patients. Discussion and conclusion: It is important to raise awareness about the importance of physiotherapy in palliative care, since according to the reviewed studies not enough palliative patients benefit from physiotherapy. The results of the studies show the positive effects of physiotherapy on the well-being of patients in palliative care; using various physiotherapeutic methods and techniques we can reduce pain and improve patients’ mood.
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