Example Of Essay On Quality Of Life

When caring for a patient who’s nearing death, a nurse can help make the patient more comfortable by helping to manage the pain that the patient feels as well as the symptoms manifested by their disease. The nurse should also effectively administer and monitor the therapeutic interventions and regimens that the patient must undergo. In addition, the nurse should be more sensitive to the patient’s feelings and be more empathic, not only to the patient but also to the patient’s family or love ones. Similarly, the nurse should be an active listener so that he or she can effectively communicate with the patient and their love ones and so that he or she can serve as a mediator between the patient and the rest of the healthcare team, that is, the nurse should be able to effectively communicate the patient’s concerns to the other healthcare professionals who are responsible for the patient’s care.
In addition, the nurse should serve as a teacher to the patient and their love ones in that the nurse should be able to help the patient understand their condition and what they can expect as a result. Since the nurse spends more time with the patient and since doctors speak in a very technical manner, the nurse can help explain what the doctor said in a simpler manner. The nurse can also answer some of the patient’s and the relatives’ questions as long as they’re within the nurse’s capability. As well, the nurse is often tasked with delivering unpleasant news to the patient and their family, so the nurse should be able to do so in a professional yet comforting manner. In this regard, the nurse should also be aware of and sensitive to cultural differences as people from different cultures would prefer to handle unpleasant news in different ways. As the patient and the patient’s family go through the grieving process, the nurse should also be able to respond appropriately to each stage of this process so that the nurse can be ensured of providing the patient and their love ones with support instead of further aggravating the situation.
Another area that the nurse can help with is with regards to advance directives. The nurse can help explain the nature of advance directives to both the patient and their family so that any misconceptions they may have can be corrected. By helping the patient and their family get more information about advance directives, they can be become more capable of making the right moral and ethical decisions.
Finally, some healthcare facilities and communities have the Five Wishes document, which enables seriously ill patients to express how they want to be treated, especially if they are no longer able to speak. This document addresses the various needs of the patient, that is, in terms of their spiritual, emotional, personal, and medical needs. This will ensure that the patient is able to indicate their emotional and personal preferences, as well as their desired comfort level.
Since the nurse is the healthcare professional whom the patient and their love ones interact with the most, the nurse becomes their trusted caregiver. As such, the nurse should do everything he or she can to provide them with the physical care and the emotional support that will help them more easily go through a difficult time such as death or the anticipation of death. The nurse should be able to protect the patient’s well-being and have the patient’s best interest at heart.
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