Caring for Patients with Cancer Quality of life in health care refers to a person s emotional, social and physical well being (Berger, Shuster& Roenn, 2006). Most diseases lower the quality of life as they have adverse effects on the body and person's life (Berger, Shuster& Roenn, 2006). The illness affects a person s life in terms of socialization, finances, spiritual and health wise (Berger, Shuster& Roenn, 2006). Quality of life can be used to improve the health of a terminally ill patient. This is because it allows nurses to care for patients by providing social needs, advice on how to make decisions and spiritual and physical care. Quality of life helps manage terminal illness where there are no effective treatments or cure (Berger, Shuster& Roenn, 2006). Nurses are able to provide quality of life by providing interventions like symptoms management and palliative care. My perception about Quality of life will affect my care for a dying patient in different ways (Berger, Shuster& Roenn, 2006). First, quality of life enables me to provide the right care to help the patient. For example, I will improve the social life of the dying patient and spiritual life. Also, it will help me improve the physical life of patient (Berger, Shuster& Roenn, 2006). Quality of life will help me integrate various types of care like social, physical, emotional and spiritual care of the person so as to improve the life of the patient (Berger, Shuster& Roenn, 2006). Patients having a terminal illness like cancer feel depressed, stressed and anxious (Berger, Shuster& Roenn, 2006). In addition, patient always have pain, so quality of life will help me help the patient overcome the difficulties (Berger, Shuster& Roenn, 2006). 1 / 6
Health promotion is a process that enables people to increase control over their health and the determinants of health (Berger, Shuster& Roenn, 2006). This is mainly through improving their health. Most health promotion campaigns do not consider the care for dying patients and his or her family (Berger, Shuster& Roenn, 2006). Health promotion will affect my care for a dying person in different ways (Berger, Shuster& Roenn, 2006). Health promotion will help me provide quality services to the patient so as to relieve pain, improve living standards and social life. I will be able to provide palliative care to dying patients as part of health promotion activity and improve the quality of life (Berger, Shuster& Roenn, 2006). Palliative care will help relieve pain and suffering in a dying person and maintain his functional abilities and social relationship (Berger, Shuster& Roenn, 2006). I will be able to help the patient reflect on the meaning of life closure and helps provide support to the family. Health promotion will help improve my skills on how to care for the patient, and prevent the patient from isolations (Berger, Shuster& Roenn, 2006). Thus, health promotion affects my care for terminal ill patients suffering from cancer as it helps me promote health behaviors among the patients. It also helps improve health of the patient. Organizations like hospice will help me provide health promotion for dying patients (Berger, Shuster& Roenn, 2006). Several strategies can be used to improve the quality of life in dying patients. The strategies include counseling, informing the patient about the terminal illness and strengthening palliative care and hospice care (Berger, Shuster& Roenn, 2006). Terminal illness has adverse effects on the patients and the family members. Terminally ill patients are always worried and anxious about their life (Lawton, 2000). This makes it difficulty for terminally ill patients to live a normal life (Lawton, 2000). The factors lead to premature death and affect the patient s life. 2 / 6
Counseling is used to help terminally ill patient cope with their illness and prepare to die peacefully and accept the illness. The patient and family members should be provided with counseling (Lawton, 2000). The family members and the patient should be informed about the terminally illness so as to prepare psychologically and financially (Berger, Shuster& Roenn, 2006). The patient dies peacefully as he prepares early. Counseling helps improve the quality of life of dying patients as it helps eliminate anxiety, boredom, and isolation (Lawton, 2000). It also helps the patient accept his or her status. Thus, nurses should use counseling to improve the quality of life as it promotes health behavior. Mrs. and Mr. Martin are both anxious about their illness and counseling will help improve their life. It will help them cope with the illness (Lawton, 2000). Another strategy that can be used to improve the quality of life is strengthening hospice and palliative care (Lawton, 2000). Palliative care is crucial in improving qualify of life as it helps manage symptoms of terminal illness and pain. It also helps one treat terminally ill patients better (Lawton, 2000). In addition, palliative care helps nurses provide spiritual needs of the patient and in providing counseling (Berger, Shuster& Roenn, 2006). The palliative care should be improved so as to enhance the quality of life for dying patients with lingering cancer (Lawton, 2000). Palliative care will help Mr. Martin cope with the terminal illness and reduce pain and anxiety. Same applies to Mrs. Martin. Palliative care helps nurses provide bereavement counseling. The counseling is crucial to Martin s family as they will be able to cope with the condition (Lawton, 2000). Also, hospice care should be used to improve the quality of life (Berger, Shuster& Roenn, 2006). Hospice care allows nurses to provide regularly medical attention to the patient and support services. It also helps improve social life of dying patients as they are able to live a happy life and stay with family members and friends (Lawton, 2000). 3 / 6
Moreover, the nurses can inform the patient about the terminal illness (Berger, Shuster& Roenn, 2006). The medical practitioner should analyze the patient s attitude and medical condition before revealing the information (Lawton, 2000). Telling the patient the truth is important, as it helps the patient cope with the illness and prepare for death (Lawton, 2000). The patient is also able to prepare financially and live well with the family members (Berger, Shuster& Roenn, 2006). This helps improve the quality of life by creating happiness and knowledge. The patients adopt behaviors that promote quality of life (Lawton, 2000). Action plan To optimize the functional ability of Mr. Martin, one can use palliative care (Lawton, 2000). Palliative care allows one to monitor the symptoms of the disease and conditions of the dying patient so as to provide intervention (Berger, Shuster& Roenn, 2006). Nurses are able to identify the functional ability of the patient by measuring it. The functional ability deceases with time as the disease affects the patient s body (Berger, Shuster& Roenn, 2006). There are different ways to provide care to Mr. Martin at this stage (Lawton, 2000). Palliative care can be used to provide care to Mr. Martin (Berger, Shuster& Roenn, 2006). Nurses are able to provide medical attention to Mr. Martin at this stage and improve his health. The nurses should monitor the medical condition of Mr. Martin and other issues like eating, dressing etc. Palliative care allows nurses to provide home based care to the patient. Home based care helps nurses care for Mr. Martin (Lawton, 2000). One should respect the dignity of the patient while caring for the patient. Nurses should develop a nutrition program to help Mr. Martin reduces side effects of the infection. The nutrition program should include a balanced diet to help Mr. Martin improve his functional ability. For example, the nutrition program should include vitamins, fruits, 4 / 6
carbohydrates and proteins. This will make it easy for Mr. Martin to regain his functional ability. Also, the action plan should include counseling programs for the patient. Mr. Martin should be provided with counseling and comfort care at this level. This will help Mr. Martin accept his status. In addition, the action plan should include personal care. That is helping Mr. Martin in dressing and washing (Lawton, 2000). Anxiety is common in many people, and it has adverse effects. Mrs. Martin is suffering from chronic anxiety, and she is always depressed (Lawton, 2000). She finds it hard to cope with the problem (Lawton, 2000). To manage chronic anxiety one can use medicines and counseling. Providing counseling to a patient with chronic anxiety helps the patient accept his condition and live normally (Berger, Shuster& Roenn, 2006). It reduces the amount of anxiety. Also, medication can be used to relieve anxiety. For Mrs. Martin one can use counseling and medication to control anxiety. The counseling and medication will help lower anxiety level. Counseling helps Mrs. Martin accept his condition and live well (Lawton, 2000). Providing counseling to Mrs. Martin helps improve her quality of life by enabling her adopt health behaviors (Lawton, 2000). Reference Berger, A.M., Shuster, J.L., Roenn, J.V. (2006).Principles and practice of palliative care and supportive oncology.lippincott Williams & Wilkins Lawton, J. (2000).The dying process: patients' experiences of palliative care. Routledge 5 / 6
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