End of Life Care

Judge Neil Gorsuch, President Donald Trump’s nominee for the Associate Justice of the U.S Supreme Court, is soon up for a vote to join their rankings. The article proceeds to mention a book that Judge Gorsuch wrote in 2006 and his stand-point on the matter of End-of-Life Care where he is against the idea. The article switches to the perspective of Dan Diaz, the husband of a patient who needed medical aid in dying after being diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor. Diaz says that if Gorsuch would have been in his position at the time of his wife’s situation he would have a different outlook towards medical aid in

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

In reviewing the two studies I found, it is very clear there is a difference in quantitative and qualitative studies. To start, Lee et al. (2017) conducted a qualitative study in which the problem statement recognizes that end of life care (EOLC) in dementia patients is less than optimal when compared to cancer patients. The researchers aimed to determine what service managers and frontline staff at different facilities felt were the key aspects in improving EOLC in dementia patients (Lee et al., 2017). As a result, the researchers purpose was to contribute to the current evidence base on good EOLC and interventions to increase quality of care of end of life dementia patients.

Nurses: Assist the patients and families to cope with the end-of-life process such as assessing and

An individual patient solution may include actions of a clinician such as a trial of therapy (Schlairet, 2013). Providers may propose a trial of therapy for an impaired patient that may offer greater clarity as to whether or not the patient is end stage or has a likely positive outcome. An agreement to neither intensify nor expand critical care interventions should accompany the trial if the patient’s condition weakens.

The assessments of the patient in an end of life situation must occur frequently as to detect rapid and/or minimal changes in the patient’s condition. It is also the primary nurse’s role to report any and all changes to the multidisciplinary team, including the family members.

The significance of addressing psychosocial concerns with dying patients is essential to assure a peaceful closure in end-of-life care. The social worker's role is to provide competent, psychosocial intervention with patients and families.

My perceptions have changed dramatically since the Clinical 1 rotation. I have noticed that the minute I walk into my patient’s room, I start to collect data. I notice if they are breathing normal, what their skin looks like, what their cognition level is, and what equipment they have in their room. I have started to connect the “puzzle pieces” of the patient’s health, rather than just feeling like I have a bunch of random information. My perception of people has continued to stay the same from Clinical 1. I continue to have an interest in learning about patients and believe that they also have something to teach us. I have learned so much from the patients and it is fun for me to get to know different

The setting in which a patient prefers end of life care is a specific choice that is left to the patient and/or their family to decide as well as the decision to pursue hospice care via a physician’s referral. Many people think that hospice is a certain place, however, hospice care can be provided in hospice care facilities, some hospitals, as well as at home. The decision between hospice care provided at home versus hospice care in the hospital setting is a difficult decision to make at the time of tragedy. However, seeking these services early will help the family be able to receive more available care and support (Nemours Foundation, n.d).

1.1 Caring for patients at the end of life is a challenging task that requires not only the consideration of the patient as a whole but also an understanding of the family, social, legal, economic, and institutional circumstances that surround patient care.

providers to help enhance their communication with aboriginal patients at the end of life. The

Death is inevitable at some point everyone must face it. Whether it is the death of a family member, friend, or a family pet, people are forced to deal with the death. Nurses however have more frequent encounters with death than the average person does. When a patient dies in a healthcare setting his or her nurse is obligated to deal with that as well. They must find ways to cope with the increased amount of death that

Facing the end of life is frightening for many people, especially if it is unexpected or sudden. For the majority of people, however, death is not instantaneous and can be slow and painful. For patients in this situation, an alternative to receiving palliative care and extraordinary measures to prolong life is the use of hospice care. Hospice care has been constructed to provide supportive care in the final phases of terminal illnesses and centers on the comfort and quality of the life of the patient, rather than curative measures. An important feature of this type of care is that the patients are most often cared for in their own homes, offering a familiar and comfortable environment. The care

As leaders, it is our duty to educate ourselves and be aware of what the needs for services such as this are within the community. As educators, it is our responsibility to insure that our future nurses are fully prepared to deliver expertise care. As nurses, we have a duty to advocate for our patients and provide the best care possible in any situation, even at the end of life. According to an article by Meier (2011), evidence discloses that those with serious illness or multiple chronic illnesses receive inadequate care when it comes to quality care at the end of life.

This research article indicates addressing the communication problems in a hospital setting between the doctors, nurses and any other medical team member since effective communication is paramount with end-of-life care. Having effective communication with the patient and patient’s family members will improve the overall satisfaction of care during a loved one’s end-of-life care. In a time of a health crisis, the patient and patient’s family members may not be sure of what is going on or what is to be expected. They may not have enough knowledge about their diagnosis or comprehend the meaning. In the research most family members felt they had unfilled communication needs, had feelings of being a burden, left abandoned, felt a lack of trust