Reflection on curative treatment versus palliation of symptoms in end of life care.

This article is a reflection on practice by a nursing student who was in the fourth year of an internship, and discusses a case study involving a woman at the end of life. It considers the approach to palliative and end of life care adopted in an oncology and haematology ward where there was a reluctance to be realistic about the limitations of treatments among some healthcare practitioners, who did not want to dispel unrealistic expectations of the patient's recovery as a result of continuing treatment. This reflection focuses on the care of a patient at the end of life and the frustration experienced by the nursing student at their inability to alter the direction of treatment from curative treatment to the palliation of symptoms. PMID: 29341551 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Nursing Standard - Category: Nursing Authors: Tags: Nurs Stand Source Type: research