Nursing-Death and Dying

952 Words4 Pages
. A nurse’s perceptions about quality of life and health promotion could affect the care of a dying patient with a lingering illness, such as cancer. Nurses are patient advocates and it is their responsibility to respect patients’ wishes regardless of their personal opinion. A nurse may personally feel that a patient should use any and all medications available to them such as pain medication, etc. during a lingering illness. However, if the patient does not desire to use these medications due to not wanting to become “addicted”, feeling “out of it” or for other reasons, the nurse needs to respect the patient’s decision. It is the nurse’s duty to make sure the patient has been accurately informed of treatment options including side effects, common misperceptions, etc. but to not sway the patient’s decisions for treatment based on his/her own beliefs. A nurse may personally feel that a patient who is dying of cancer should utilize any and all pain management options available to them, however, if the patient does not wish to use pain medications because he/she feels “out of it” or is afraid of becoming “addicted”, the nurse needs to respect that patient’s choice. One may personally feel that a patient should try all treatment options available when dealing with an illness such as cancer, but needs to be respectful if a patient does not wish to continue treatment or try something new even if the nurse feels that is the “right” thing to do. B. In the scenario presented, different strategies can be used in the Thomas’s situation to improve the quality of life for Mrs. Thomas and her husband during this illness. First of all, discussing with Mr. and Mrs. Thomas what their wants/needs are is imperative. To best help in the situation, the nurse needs to be aware of the couple’s opinions, wishes and beliefs towards the situation. With all parties on the
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