NURSING- PALLIATIVE CARE FOR A PATIENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

NURSING- PALLIATIVE CARE FOR A PATIENT - Essay Example These emotions are a part of adjustment and grieving to the loss. Patients who are in terminal stages of life need to be managed in a holistic manner keeping in mind the emotional distress they are going through. Such a care is known as palliative care. According to the World Health Organization (2009), palliative care is â€Å"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." In this essay, one of the important components of palliative care, the spiritual care, will be discussed with reference to a case scenario in the context of holistic care. 55 year old Marina, a known patient of hypertension and diabetes, was diagnosed to have breast cancer in December 2008. She had consulted her gynecologist because she felt a mass in the left breast. Mammography and biopsy results established the diagnosis of stage-2 breast cancer of the left breast. The very diagnosis of breast cancer upset Marina and her family members. She underwent left mastectomy with removal of left axillary lymph nodes. Since testing for hormone receptors revealed suitability for hormone therapy, Marina was started on tamoxifen therapy. Despite aggressive anti-cancer management, the woman developed metastases over few months and became terminally ill within a year. She developed metastases in the liver and bone subsequent to which she became very ill, pale and sick looking. Having enjoyed a contentful life with full of love, happiness and luxury, Marina pleaded the treating oncologist to provide care which allowed her to live in peace for the few remaining day s in her life. The team of doctors, after consultation with the her husband and other family members initiated palliative care. The main issue that was dealt with in this