palliative and end-of-life care
palliative and end-of-life care
An important area in nursing practice is in palliative and end-of-life care. Palliative care provides a more holistic approach to patient care and attempts to slow the progression of a disease. Palliative care can include an array of non-pharmaceutical therapies such as massage therapy or yoga. It can also include shorter or smaller treatments aimed at reducing negative side effects.
End-of-life care is about the process of dying. Helping patients and their families through this time can be difficult yet rewarding. Patients deserve respect and quality care through this time as well. Like nurses who practice in palliative care organizations, hospice nurses are moving toward alternative therapies to aid in comforting the terminally ill patient. As more care is being delivered in the home, the role of the nurse in providing palliative and end-of-life care will continue to evolve.
The use of complementary and alternative therapies in the treatment of cancer patients, terminal patients, and many other types of patients is steadily increasing. The Resources also contain much information about the various alternative therapies currently being used.
Consider alternative therapies and discuss the challenges associated with them.
To prepare
· Review the Resources pertaining to alternative therapies.
· Select one of the following areas where alternative therapies are being used:
o Cancer treatment
o Cancer symptom management
o End-of-life care
o Palliative care
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· Find at least two scholarly journal articles discussing alternative therapies in your chosen subtopic.
Identify at least one challenge associated with the nurse’s role in providing alternative therapies for patient care.
Explain how the nurse might integrate the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) approaches in your chosen subtopic and discuss the ethical issues nurses may face.
