The document discusses fundamentals of nursing palliative care. Nursing and palliative care are natural partners, as all nurses should have palliative care skills. Palliative care aims to improve quality of life for terminally ill patients and their families by preventing and relieving suffering. It involves an interdisciplinary team approach to address physical, psychosocial and spiritual needs. The role of nurses in palliative care focuses on symptom management, especially pain management, and providing 24-hour support.

1. FUNDAMENTALS OF
NURSING
PALLIATIVE CARE
2/23/2021 JONES H.M- MBA/DMS 1

2. PRESENTED BY:
MRS C S HAMWEETE
2/23/2021 JONES H.M- MBA/DMS 2

3. I.NTRODUCTION
 Nursing and palliative care are natural
partners in clinical practice and hence the
knowledge and skills required in this area
are applicable to all nurses. Terminally ill
patients in many different environments
all have a right to supportive and palliative
care, regardless of diagnosis or
circumstances.
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4.  The values and beliefs that underpin high-
quality palliative care are integral to good
nursing. Nurses are in a unique situation as
they are the only real 24-hour carers in the
healthcare system.
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5. The challenge to nurses involved in end-of-
life care is how to combine the art and the
science into a cohesive approach that
reflects individuality, choice, dignity and
compassion in whatever environment care
is being offered.
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6. Definition
 WHO defines palliative care an approach that
improves the quality of life of patients and their
families facing the problem associated with life-
threatening illness, through the prevention and
relief of suffering by means of early identification
and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain
and other problems, physical, psychosocial and
spiritual.
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7. OR
 Palliative care is the care which is
aimed at prevention, relief, reduction,
or soothing of symptoms of disease or
disorders without effecting a cure.
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8. OR
 Palliative care may be defined as the
active, total care of patients whose
disease is no longer responsive to
curative treatment.
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9. GOAL OF PALLIATIVE CARE
 The goal of palliative care is to
prevent and relieve symptoms and
thereby improve quality of life for
both the patient and the family.
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10.  Quality of life of the patient will be
improved by reducing the experiences of
symptoms of distress which affects the
patient’s life routines.
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11. The goal is achieved by offering
the patient
Relief from suffering through;
 Treatment of pain and other distressing
symptoms.
 Psychological and spiritual care
 Establishing a support system for patient
and family.
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12.  Referral for Palliative Care is appropriate
for any patient with an incurable,
progressive and fatal illness.
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13. Who needs palliative care?
Particularly recommended for:
 Patients with rapidly progressive disease
 Patients with disease presenting
unexpected, difficult to control, or rapidly
progressing symptoms
 Distressing symptoms, when no relief has
been achieved within 48 hours
 Psycho-social distress in patient or family
relating to the diagnosis or in facing death
 Where reassurance of a second opinion is
sought – by patient, family or other health
care professional
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14. IN PALLIATIVE CARE:
 Provide relief from pain and other
distressing symptoms.
 Affirm life and regard dying as a
normal process.
 Neither hasten nor postpone death.
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15.  Integrate psychological and spiritual
aspects of client care.
 Offer a support system to help clients
live as actively as possible until death.
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16.  Offer a support system to help families
cope during the clients illness and their
own bereavement.
 Enhance Quality of life.
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17.  Palliative care seeks to address the
needs of all individuals with serious
and other end stage illness such as
heart disease, cancer , stroke, chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease and
Diabetes mellitus.
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18. Principles of palliative care
 Patient and family are viewed as a unit of
care
 Attention to physical, psychological,
cultural, social, ethical and spiritual needs
 Interdisciplinary team approach
 Education and support of patient and
family
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19.  Extends across illnesses and settings
 Bereavement Support
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20. Approach to care
 The approach to care usually involves
an interdisciplinary team of
physicians, nurses, social workers,
pastoral care professionals, physical
and occupational therapists,
psychologist and pharmacist.
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21. The Role of the Nurse
 The role of the nurse in palliative care is in
providing care aimed at symptom
management, particularly pain and working
with other interdisciplinary team to provide
optimal support.
 Of all the members of the health care team
the Nurse is the one who is with the patient
24hrs
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22.  The most important skill in providing
palliative care is establishing a caring
relationship with both the client and
the relatives/ family.
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23.  Palliative care nursing is very much about
helping people to live until they die, not
about helping them to die prematurely.
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24. COMPONENTS OF PALLIATIVE
CARE
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25. SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT
 It is very important for the nurse to offer
appropriate symptom management to
maintain the patients dignity and self
esteem.
 The nurse provides information on the
treatment options.
 Administer the prescribed medications.
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26. Con’t
Some of the common symptoms of
terminally ill patients include;
 Fatigue
 Nausea
 Constipation
 Diarrhoea
 Urinary incontinence
 Ineffective breathing patterns e.g dyspnoea,
shortness of breath.
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27. Psychosocial support
 The most valuable support you can
offer is your presence as a caring
person. Through your verbal
expression s of empathy, positive
regard, and availability of practical
support.
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28. Con’t
 Explain the role of all the interdisciplinary
team members to establish trust and alley
anxiety.
 Encourage the patient to verbalize their
fears.
 You give accurate and timely information
about their clinical progress, or prognosis.
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29. Social support
 The family , friends, health care
workers should be available and
supportive.
 Involve family and friends on whom
the client relies for support. ( you ask
the client who they want to involve in
their care).
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30. Spiritual Support
 Spirituality is a highly personal
matter. And caring for a patient’s
spiritual needs means that you accept
their beliefs and helping them with
issues surrounding meaning and hope.
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31.  Respect the patient’s religion even if
it interferes with medical treatment.
 Allow the patients spiritual leaders to
come and offer spiritual care.
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32.  Usually terminal illness creates an
uncertainty about what death means
leading to spiritual distress. The priests can
help the client find peace within
themselves.
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33. COUNSELLING
 Counselling is a process through which a
trained counsellor uses counselling skills to
dialogue with a troubled client so that he
can come up with their own decision or
solution.
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34.  Counselling is an important therapeutic
intervention in palliative care.
 It is through Counselling that the patient
will be helped to;
Define his problem
Identify his own solutions
Decide how best to handle their anxiety. .
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