Palliative care nurse role

Palliative care allows relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness regardless of age or state of health. The aim is to make everyday life easier for the patient and their family. 

Palliative care nurses are key players in this field. The program prepares you to be an important member of the healthcare team and work in diverse settings providing compassionate care. 

In this blog, we will talk about palliative care nurses in Australia. It will emphasize their roles and skills and their effect on patients as well as on families.

What Is Palliative Care?

Palliative care is designed to increase the quality of life for patients with serious illnesses. This consists of managing symptoms like pain, nausea, and shortness of breath, as well as addressing emotional needs in addition to the social and spiritual. 

Palliative care is person-centred, as highlighted by the WHO definition: "Palliative care is 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." 

It addresses comfort during illness and subsequent end-of-life.

The Role of Palliative Care Nurses

Registered nurses (the most common), are also called palliative care nurses. Palliative care doctors are physicians specially trained in palliative medicine. They can work in hospitals, hospices, nursing homes and with patients who are currently being cared for at home. 

A whole-patient care approach is essential for receiving hospice services. This means caring for their physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Some of the key tasks taken on by Palliative Care Nurses in Australia include:

• Symptom Management : A palliative care nurse takes on many essential roles, one of which is symptom management (pain, nausea and vomiting, fatigue and shortness of breath). Working with doctors, they create and apply care plans to relieve symptoms of this fatal illness and make the patient a bit comfortable.

• Emotional Support:When someone has a life-threatening ailment, it is especially traumatic for the patient and their relatives. Emotional support is also provided by palliative care nurses. They make coping with feelings and fears easier for the patients. They listen, they counsel and they refer families to support groups and resources.

• Coordination of Care:A palliative care team can consist of three designated professionals. This group consists of physicians, social workers as well as counsellors. This group is directed by palliative care nurses. They see to it that every team member works together effectively in the patient's best interest. They are also responsible for communicating with our patients and their families to keep them up-to-date on the plan of care and any changes.

• Education and Advocacy:Nurses in palliative care provide education to patients and their families. Understanding the disease's history, past treatments, and future expectations is crucial. They speak up in their role as the patient's champion to make certain that care decisions honour what patients wish or want.

• End-of-Life Care:End-of-life care provided by hospices is generally associated with cost and may be available only briefly. As patients and families prepare for the last chapter of life, Palliative care nurses help everyone involved. They take care of the patient, support and comfort them. They also manage the symptoms and maintain their dignity.

• Spiritual Care:The spiritual requirement is an integral part of the palliative care arena. Palliative care nurses assist their patients.  They help patients in healing emotionally through faith and spirituality. 

Qualities of a Palliative Care Nurse

Characteristics of a palliative care nurse and the essential traits of palliative care nursing are : 

1. Nurses working in palliative care should have a high degree of compassion. It is essential because compassion ensures the maintenance and functionality needed for patients and families in need.

2. This is where communication skills become very crucial. They play an important role in palliative care. Nurses should articulate complicated medical knowledge in understandable terms and listen to the worries of patients/their families.

3. Palliative care can be tough. This requires much patience and resilience from the nurses to deal with stress, and continue support.

4. Critical thinking is required in palliative care nursing. Early accurate symptom evaluation will help them to take early resolution.

5. Teamwork is essential. This involves collaborating with other healthcare providers.

The Role of Palliative Care Nurses

Palliative care nurses play an important role for the patients and their families. We stand to gain in several ways, such as:

• The toll can be somewhat dulled by the teamwork of palliative care nurses, who generally should deal with these symptoms. They give holistic care. This care increases the quality of life for patients.

• Supporting Families: The patients have families in their minds. When a family member is terminally ill, the palliative care nurses are at hand to help out and assist. In this way, they are advocates for the patient in organizing the healthcare system and making it work more effectively so that patients may make appropriate choices.

• Palliative care nurses make sure patients are comfortable and relaxed at the very end of life. They give patients dignity and respect at the end of their lives.

Palliative Care in Australia

Australia has an excellent system of healthcare and palliative care is one component. Palliative care is supported by the Australian government. They accomplish this through numerous programs and initiatives. These are the key points:

• Access to services: Palliative care is widely available across the nation. They are in hospitals and communities. Such care can be delivered at home, in residential care facilities or in specialized palliative-care units.

• Funding and Support: The government funds palliative care services through Medicare and other programs. This backing ensures that patients and families get the care they require.

• Training: Australia is a role model when it comes to educating and training palliative care workers. Nurses can enhance their listening skills with different courses and programs available to them.

• High Quality: Quality palliative care is provided by clinicians around the world as a result of research. It even creates novel models of care.

Challenges in Palliative Care

There are a good number of benefits but palliative care has a few, challenges too. Common palliative care issues include:

• Access to Care: Available services but no access for some patients. This is particularly the case in regional and remote areas. Filling this gap is vital to retaining health equity across Australia.

• Lack of Awareness and Understanding: There are many people who do not know what palliative care is, or how it can help them. 

• Public education and awareness: It is necessary to create public opinion about palliative care. 

• They don't have enough people. The number of palliative care specialists is under a global decrease. One of the major limiting factors is to overcome the shortage of workforce required for supported demand in palliative care services.

• Cost to Nurses: Palliative care nursing is emotionally demanding. It is critical to provide sufficient support and resources for nurses to take care of themselves.

What you need to know about the future of palliative care nursing ?

There is a demand for more trained palliative care nurses in the years to come. The need for palliative care services is being driven by the increasing incidence of chronic diseases and an ageing population. 

Trends and Future Directions in Palliative Care Nursing:

Palliative care is included in other healthcare activities to make sure it is provided effectively. These range from oncology to geriatrics and chronic disease management.  The good thing about it is better-integrated care.

• Use of telehealth and digital Tools: This approach is becoming increasingly common in palliative care. These may be technology-enabled advancements in scope and access, especially for patients residing on the fringes and peripheries of our community. These can serve as extra helpings of hands or care groups to assist families.

• Education and Training: Continuous education and training are paramount for palliative care nurses. They assist the nurses to be well-versed with progress in the field. Continual professional development ensures nurses maintain smoothness in best-practice care and the evolution of innovative approaches to ensure patient safety.

• Research and Innovation: Palliative care research is growing. That results in fresh observations and inventions. Palliative care nurses are a key to translating research evidence into practice improvements.

Seeking Assignment Help

For aspiring nursing students in Australia, understanding the role of a palliative care nurse is essential. Students receive assignments from universities that can be quite challenging to complete without seeking help.

If you need help scoring higher grades, consider seeking assistance from Digi Assignment Help. Our nursing experts can provide you with advice, tools and support. They are the supporter of your academic success.

Conclusion

Nurses working in palliative care are essential to the healthcare system of Australia. They deliver patient-centred care for patients who have advanced chronic illnesses. They are focused on improving the quality of life for patients and their families. 

Despite the challenges, palliative care nursing is a hard and rewarding field but one that makes all the difference. The need for palliative care is increasing. Palliative care nurses will have their roles tied. It will provide new opportunities to assist patients and their loved ones. 

If you're studying nursing in Australia and need assistance with your palliative care assignments, our expert team is here to help. Our nursing specialists provide comprehensive guidance to ensure you complete your assignments successfully. Additionally, they offer support in filling out your university's specific cover sheets correctly.

Top Blogs