palliative care nursing assignment help

palliative care nursing assignment help

Palliative Care Nursing: Providing Compassionate and Holistic Support

1. Introduction to Palliative Care Nursing

As readers proceed to Chapter 1, and the book really gets started, the chapter provides a lot of great background information about palliative care in general. The term ‘palliative’ is introduced and detailed, with its history dating back to the Byzantine Empire. People treated for solace and not for cure, we learn that palliative care promotes the quality of life and not exclusively for the terminally ill. I feel this is a very important statement as it helps to better understand why palliative care is necessary and why business has always been on the rise for palliative care providers. A deep analysis is provided into the overview of palliative care services and the differences between hospice and non-hospice palliative care options. Academic palliative care is discussed for the first time, which I found extremely interesting. I know palliative care is very patient-oriented, but the book outlines that funding and revenue really runs the show when it comes to modern palliative care business. This was a bit disheartening to read as a lot of the research and education patients of this profession receive may not necessarily be because it’s the best care plan for them, but more to do with the funding the facility receives. The chapter ends with explaining the overall goals of palliative care, and how a patient may be confident throughout all of the serious health-related issues that are occurring in their lives. It’s quite poignant to read that families retain the patient’s well-being as the central focus of everyday life – a truly humanistic and compassionate approach, and the essence of palliative care itself. Such a must-read, it is rare for a beginner’s guide to be covering such a broad but deep and thought-inspiring range of topics. Half of this chapter is just dedicating the beginning of the book, where readers usually just get shown the proposed contents of the book and a little background about the author. I think this chapter gives real quality in the sense that, for the first time, people new to palliative care can get a broad vision of the many different practices, skills, and mentalities the profession will cover. We’re already being trained to think laterally because there are so many things to consider in giving the best possible care to someone in need. Also, because we are taught about perspectives of those involved in the care, such as the patient family, care provider, and local community, I feel like I’m being installed with quite a powerful mental tool; the ability to understand the emotions and responses from a wide range of people who are involved with a patient in need. So even this early in the content of the book, I feel that the teaching is incredibly user-focused and seeks to try and better not just the profession but also the understanding that the person in that palliative care environment is a lot more complex than people may realize. Really goes to show the level of emotional depth and consideration that’s needed. Albeit the dense contents in this section, I feel as if this chapter overall gave a really good sense of all the different curiosities and areas of interest that the book will cover. It’s astonishingly in-depth, and I find it hard to believe that there’s going to be such a scarcity of specifics and broader development to come. But I can’t wait to continue through!

2. The Role of Palliative Care Nurses

Palliative care nurses are the backbone of the care process for many patients. Unlike other medical fields where doctors are in charge and nurses follow the orders given by them, in palliative care, the doctors and the nurses work as a team. While the doctor develops the care plan for the patient, the palliative care nurses are the ones who are responsible for implementing it. The nurses work directly with the patients on a daily basis by taking care of their needs, monitoring their health, and administering the treatment. However, their role extends beyond providing physical care. They need to address the emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs of the patient and offer support and guidance to the patient’s family. That’s why palliative care nurses are also considered as the primary point of contact for the patients. They require a comprehensive understanding of pain and symptom management to promote the patient’s quality of life. In addition, they must maintain a high level of professionalism and knowledge to provide the best possible care. This requires continuous professional development to keep pace with the latest practices and research. Therefore, career development is considered a key motivation for many nurses working in the palliative care field. Many palliative care nurses are given the opportunity to specialize in a specific aspect of care, such as pediatrics or symptom management. Some nurses will move up into more senior nursing positions like nurse consultants or clinical nurse specialists. These roles provide an opportunity to be directly involved in the development of palliative care in areas including patient service development, policies, and staff education. Last but not least, the nurses must demonstrate their commitment to the professional code of practice. This includes keeping patients safe, managing risk to the patients, maintaining professional knowledge and competence, and also showing respect for the patients’ autonomy and dignity. Nowadays, many healthcare providers, including palliative care providers, are encouraging nurses to conduct research and contribute findings to the body of knowledge. It is because the adoption of evidence-based practices and the continuous advancement of care offered can help improve the patient’s quality of life. All of these carry an important message to healthcare professionals – working together with a common goal of providing the best care possible to the patients. As Cicely Saunders says, “You matter because you are you, and you matter until the last moment of your life.” This provides motivation and a sense of achievement to palliative care nurses and keeps their passion alive along the journey.

3. Essential Skills and Knowledge for Palliative Care Nurses

Palliative care nursing requires specialized knowledge and skills to provide quality care to patients. In addition to a strong foundation in patient- and family-centered care, palliative care nurses must be prepared to meet the challenges of symptom management and the complexities of communication at the end of life. Palliative care nurses should understand the piece of nursing history related to the initial growth of palliative care out of the hospice movement of the 1970s, and the more recent history leading to designation of palliative care as a nursing specialty. It is essential that palliative care nurses have a solid understanding of the social, cultural, economic, and policy issues that impact patients and families facing serious illness. Being able to respond to these impacts can be an important aspect of quality care. This includes knowledge of policy related to care at the end of life, leadership and care management, education, interpersonal relationships, and advocacy. Cultivating depth of knowledge will help to distinguish the palliative care nurse as a clinical expert. Expertise in pain and symptom management is also required of palliative care nurses. In fact, the collection of scientific knowledge in this area was the central theme of several sessions at the annual assembly for the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. The meeting featured discussions over skill advancement in symptom management and inclusion of research to build one’s personal knowledge base. It is suggested that nursing curricula integrate principles, identification and assessment of symptoms, and types of interventions specific to palliative care practice. By Gabrielle Davis

4. Challenges and Ethical Considerations in Palliative Care Nursing

One of the fundamental challenges in palliative care nursing is recognizing the needs of the dying person. Patients inevitably decline and their needs will change as they move through their illness trajectory. They will experience myriad complex physical, psychological, and spiritual issues, and potential interventions for even just one of these, such as pain, may be varied and have differing levels of effectiveness over the time of their care. Secondly, the potential for burnout among palliative care nurses is high, and nursing covers a broad range of roles in this field, from hands-on caring to helping the patient and the patient’s family navigate the bureaucracy of the healthcare system. As a result, the workload is massive, and the ‘national crisis’ in the lack of funding and political will to support the burgeoning demand for palliative care services in the community serves to exacerbate this further. This means that nurses, who are already underpaid compared to their hospital counterparts, are not given the time and resources they need to provide effective and compassionate care. Then, from a professional standpoint, palliative care nursing presents some unique ethical dilemmas. Inevitably, as an individual’s symptoms and problems become increasingly complex and their clinical condition deteriorates, these can raise both practical and existential ethical questions about which course of action is in the best interest of the patient. The NMC code, which sets standards professionals must follow about patient confidentiality, the need to justify our reasons for any decisions made, and respect for the emotional and spiritual needs of patients and families. Finally, balancing the nurse’s duty of care and the privilege of being part of the patient’s most personal period in their life is an immense responsibility that can have emotional, moral, and psychological repercussions for the practitioner. As they comfort and support the patient and their family, they also bear witness to the patient’s suffering and potentially share in the grief when the patient ultimately passes. Such a position of vulnerability and trust requires that a nurse constantly appraises and reflects on their practice and that they are able to ascertain the essence of ethics and recognize circumstances where maybe their own professional standards need vigilance.

5. Advancing Palliative Care Nursing: Research and Education

Many organizations around the world are in continuous efforts to seek out new information and scientific discoveries to further improve patient care. The Institute of Medicine, a non-profit organization based in the United States, has recommended that increased federal funding be distributed toward improving palliative care research – the goal is to continue to improve the quality of life for patients and their families. In 2006, the National Institute of Health, the leading federal agency for health research, have only granted a total of 3.2 million dollars for research in this area. This is much less when compared to the funds typically granted toward other research areas, such as cancer and heart disease. Advocates for palliative care have emphasized that more funds need to be allocated to pave the way for further development in patient care. This includes finding the most effective treatment strategies to better physical and mental well-being for palliative patients. In this clinical trial, each participating patient will receive the standard treatment plus the medication being tested or the standard treatment plus a placebo. In some cases, patients may receive no extra medication at all. This trial is completely optional, but could help to bring in new information to the medical field. On the other hand, volunteering for clinical trial is one way that you can contribute to advances in patient care in the future. In order to meet the demands of the healthcare industry and America’s increasing palliative care needs, a series of measures will need to be put in place to encourage growth within the palliative care sector. One such proposal to help ensure patients are well taken care of is the setting of minimum nurse-to-patient ratios for healthcare facilities. This could result in job expansion and lower patient mortality rates. At the moment, California is the only state to have such ratios put into effect. Also, the proposal for increasing funding from the federal government and organizations so that research can be promoted is a major aspect of ensuring that true advancements in patient care can be met. All in all, there will need to be collaborations between various health organizations, proper implementation of legislation, access to financial resources, and passion for further advancing the field in order to provide patients with the medical help that they deserve.