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Nursing Perspective and Considerations

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Essentials of Palliative Care

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Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to review the nursing perspective in palliative care and some of the important and critical aspects of caring for these patients and their families. The nurse plays a very important as he or she will be the main caregiver who will spend the most time with patients during palliative care. Palliative care is not limited only to individuals who are dying but also to a wider range of individuals experiencing long-term illnesses. The goal of palliative care as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) is to get the highest quality of life for the patient and their families. This care aims to address the whole patient, including the psychological, spiritual, physical, and mental needs.

This chapter will describe and discuss the role of the nurse in palliative care and their collaboration with an interdisciplinary team. Discussion will also include the many methods available to manage pain and provide education for patients and families throughout this difficult and challenging time.

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Perioperative Services, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT, USA

    Ena M. Williams R.N., M.S.M., M.B.A.

  2. Pain Advanced practice nurse, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Hangzhou, China

    Tong Ying Ge R.N., M.S.N. (Master Degree of Nursing)

Authors
  1. Ena M. Williams R.N., M.S.M., M.B.A.
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  2. Tong Ying Ge R.N., M.S.N. (Master Degree of Nursing)
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ena M. Williams R.N., M.S.M., M.B.A. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, Yale University, New Haven, 06520, Connecticut, USA

    Nalini Vadivelu

  2. Citrus Road 278, River Ridge, 70123, Louisiana, USA

    Alan David Kaye

  3. Keck School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Pain Medic, of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 90035, California, USA

    Jack M. Berger

Appendices

Review Questions

  1. 1.

    Palliative Care is focused on only the care of the dying patient

    1. (a)

      False

    2. (b)

      True

  2. 2.

    Palliative care is defined by:

    1. (a)

      JCAHO

    2. (b)

      WHO

    3. (c)

      The state

    4. (d)

      Nurses

    5. (e)

      Physicians

  3. 3.

    Palliative nursing is a new field of nursing that

    1. (a)

      Differs in essence from other areas

    2. (b)

      Reflects a whole person philosophy

    3. (c)

      Focuses on the patient and family as a unit

    4. (d)

      a, b, & c

    5. (e)

      b only

  4. 4.

    The nurse can relieve suffering in the following ways

    1. (a)

      By listening for statements of meaning from sufferers and allowing the person’s exploring circumstances to surface the issue of higher meaning

    2. (b)

      By encouraging the sufferer’s interpretation of their own experience

    3. (c)

      By validating the sufferer’s interpretation of their own experience while clarifying meaning

    4. (d)

      a & c only

    5. (e)

      All the above

  5. 5.

    What is the most common palliative team design

    1. (a)

      A nurse and a physician

    2. (b)

      A nurse only

    3. (c)

      A nurse and social worker

    4. (d)

      A physician and chaplain

    5. (e)

      A physical therapist and a nurse

  6. 6.

    Pain is defined as whatever the patient says it is

    1. (a)

      True

    2. (b)

      False

  7. 7.

    The healthcare provider should be worried about patients becoming addict because they need to take pain medicine over a period of time

    1. (a)

      True

    2. (b)

      False

Answers

  1. 1.

    (a)

  2. 2.

    (a)

  3. 3.

    (d)

  4. 4.

    (e)

  5. 5.

    (a)

  6. 6.

    (a)

  7. 7.

    (b)

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© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Williams, E.M., Ge, T.Y. (2013). Nursing Perspective and Considerations. In: Vadivelu, N., Kaye, A., Berger, J. (eds) Essentials of Palliative Care. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5164-8_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5164-8_9

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-5163-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-5164-8

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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