Nursing Care for the Terminal Breast Cancer Patient Community

This author’s personal perceptions concerning patients facing a lingering terminal illness, have been shaped by over 20 years of critical care nursing experience. Facing death and illness on a daily basis requires self-examination and a high degree of comfort with one’s own mortality, limits and values. Constant exposure to the fragility of life forces respect for the whole person and the people who love them. A general approach to patients who are actively dying is to allow them to define what they want and need during this time. The nurse’s role

Death is inevitable. It is one of the only certainties in life. Regardless, people are often uncomfortable discussing death. Nyatanga (2016) posits that the idea of no longer existing increases anxiety and emotional distress in relation to one’s mortality. Because of the difficulty in level of care for end-of-life patients, the patient and the family often need professional assistance for physical and emotional care. Many family caregivers are not professionally trained in medicine, and this is where hospice comes into play. Hospice aims to meet the holistic needs of both the patient and the patient’s family through treatment plans, education, and advocacy. There is a duality of care to the treatment provided by hospice staff in that they do not attempt to separate the patient’s care from the family’s care. Leming and Dickinson (2011) support that hospice, unlike other clinical fields, focuses on the patient and the family together instead of seeing the patient independent of the family. Many times in hospitals, the medical team focuses solely on the goal of returning the patient back to health in order for them to return to their normal lives. They do not take into account the psychological and spiritual components of the patient’s journey and the journey that the family must take as well. For treatment of the patient, Leming and Dickinson agree that hospice does not attempt to cure patients, and instead concentrates solely

This is recognized to be an issue, and throughout the article the authors provided an understanding of how palliative care and end-of-life care are provided too late for a patient and should be provided at an earlier time in order to bring more comfort to the patients. The authors suggest that when and how end-of-life care is provided should be altered, with nursing ethics in mind, so that patients and nurses may feel better about the care they receive. This source will help my research by providing information on how changing the policies of end-of-life care and palliative care can result in the patient feeling a relief from their suffering and ultimately feeling more comfortable. This will also help my argument in how altering the current policies and focusing on providing better end-of-life care can lead to the diminishment of physician-assisted

I t is important that end of life care is delivered in respect of patients Autonomy, Beneficence, and in a Truthful way. In what follows I argue that we as nurses need to fulfill obligation to support and assist the dying patient and his family’s right to self-determination as it relates to end of life care. I believe that we have made headway but still have much to achieve. Education and research in these areas by and for health care workers and the general population would do much to improve the quality of end of life care.

Many patients and families in this situation have understood that all treatment options have been exhausted, and the focus then shifts to a peaceful, respectable, and comfortable dying process for the patient. The healthcare team desires what is best for the patient. As members of the health care team, nurses may often find themselves in situations where establishing patient wishes and preparing for end-of-life care decisions falls on them. According to evidence-based guidelines for initiating end-of-life care planning “discussions should be driven by the philosophy of hope for the best, prepare for the worst.”

ed. For the immense number of ill patients, the solution to their suffering is predominately quality sedative care, of which I ardently encourage. Though there are ill patients who seek sedative care, there is a significant amount of terminally ill patients for whom palliative care is not the solution and who suffer tremendously until they die. These are the type of patients who wish to end their suffering by making the decision to end their lives with the assistance of doctors. This also allows them to end their lives with dignity, and place of their choice. The only way to prevent suffering of this amount is to revise the law so patients are allowed to lawfully receive assistance to peacefully pass away.

Occasionally, the best care a nurse can provide is providing their patient the ability to have a good death. In a survey of acute care nurses conducted by Becker, Wright, & Schmitt (2016) it was found that dying well was

The article points out how the American Nurses Association (ANA), the Hospice and Palliative Nurse Association (HPNA), and Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) do not support the use of assisted dying. However, due to recent law changes, the organizations are reevaluating their position on dying with dignity. The article talks about the countries and states that have legalized assisted dying and who can qualify to obtain the prescription. It also points out that nurses who live in these countries and states are more likely to be uncomfortable to talk about this subject with their patients. Either way, patients need to be educated and advocated for while following the code of ethics when dealing with the subject of assisted dying. The article also points out how a nurse needs to be a tentative listener to further assess why the option of assisted dying is being considered. A brief case study demonstrates how a good nurse can reveal the true motives behind choosing the assisted dying as an option. Finally, the article talks about different communication techniques and approaches a nurse can use when discussing the subject of

At times the dying patient’s loved ones become the nurse’s patients. As stated in End-of-Life Care: Caring for the Dying Patient and Family of the Dying Patient, “End-of-life (EOL) care of the dying patient and the patient’s family encompasses a variety of interventions that meet the physical needs of the patient and the emotional/psychosocial needs of the patient and the family. The rationale for EOL care is to provide physical comfort for the patient by managing pain and reducing emotional stress, and to promote effective coping and spiritual comfort for the patient and family” (Woten and Schub, 2016). As future nurses, it is critical that we acknowledge the potential we hold, we treasure the gift we have been given and we take our responsibilities

The nurse has to do research in order to know which method would be the best for each patient, and to learn all the new strategies to keep the patients comfortable. The nurse’s knowledge is also up to date on all the kinds of new equipment such as mattresses that help prevent the patient from getting bedsores. The nurse is aware that the only physical pain that is hard to treat and control is neuropathic, this is determined through research. The nurse has gained knowledge through their own person understanding and empath which is part of Carper’s (1978) ways of knowing through their experience of when their own grandfather was a patient before they were in palliative care. They had an experience that they would never want a family to go through when their loved one is dying. Through this experience it made the nurse want to go into palliative care so they could use their new knowledge to try their best to make a family with a dying loved one witness a “good death”. The nurse uses knowledge and attitudes built by an ethical framework. The nurse listens to what the patients want allowing them to be in control of their life, respecting their life, and doing what is right for the patient’s well-being. The nurse knows what the patient wants in order to die a “good death” even if it means stopping treatment so that there is no more pain but possibly a shorter life span. The nurse shows knowledge through the awareness of the immediate situation and the awareness of the patient and their awareness of their circumstances as a unique individual. The nurse takes their time with each patient in order to understand them. The nurse has learned that during bath time is when the patient usually seems to speak the most and that is when the nurse learns the most about the patient. (SOURCE)(CARPERS WAY OF KNOWING)(REFERENCE THE

There are many cultural and religious beliefs in the world in which many individuals base their end of life care according to those beliefs. As a nurse it is important to be aware of the different varieties of religious and cultural beliefs and be open minded when caring for these individuals. It has been shown that individuals who are dealing with end of life are better able to cope and have a better overall experience when their cultural and religious practices are respected in the healthcare setting.

Nurses are expected to provide physicians with quality assessments and needs of their patients to ensure when a change from curative care to palliative care is needed and to ensure good death. Death has always caused an ethical

According to the National Hospice and Palliative Care organization, in 2011, an estimated 1.651 million patients received services from hospice care, while 1,059,000 patients passed away from this form of care in the same year (NHPCO pdf, 2012). Hospice end of life cares mission/goal is to provide compassionate care for patients and their families who are living with a life limiting illness. This type of medical service gives expert medical care, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support (NHPCO, 2016). End of life care is beneficial for ones well being while they are passing away. Giving someone a peaceful and warm environment to spend their final life moments in. This form of end of life care is something that most people can relate to as many friends and family members have gone through this process. Hospice care is delivered to many patients, residents, and in general people all around the world, having many factors that go into hospice such as the requirements to receive hospice, the care team and the levels of care one receives, all of these factors are extremely important when it comes to the care for one’s life, family member, or friend.

A flexible and unbiased attitude is needed in order for the caregivers methods to be effective.Jaffe and Ehrlich's purpose in writing this book is to provide people with a holistic understanding of hospice care by highlighting the many factors of hospice care, such as: pain control, nursing support, Medicare, availability of hospice programs, curriculum of medical students, sensitivity to religious beliefs, as well as the details of each area. Through their stories, they provide examples of the above areas to help the reader understand the benefits of Hospice care.This paper will provide an outline of the main points in the preface, introduction, and each of the nine chapters and appendix A; excluding the foreword, Appendix B, and Appendix C.PREFACEByock explains "the power to change public and professional attitudes lies within the stories of people's experiences in dying" (1, p. viii). This solidifies the purpose of

Many nurses are regularly confronted with the hopelessness and exhaustion of patients and their families making it difficult for them to find balance between the preservation of life and the enablement of a dignified death. Nurses must acknowledge their own feelings of sorrow, fear, dismay and helplessness and recognize the impact of these emotions in clinical decision making. These distressing pressures may cause a nurse to contemplate intentionally assist in ending a patient's life as a humane and compassionate answer, however; the conventional goals and standards of the nursing profession mitigate against it.