Palliative care – is active, comprehensive care for a patient suffering from an illness that cannot be cured. The main task of palliative care is to relieve pain and other symptoms and solve social, psychological, and spiritual problems. This is a wholesome help to a person with an incurable, progressive disease: healthcare professionals select or adjust the pain relief scheme, help get rid of the symptoms of the disease, and provide psychological and legal support. Therefore, comfort in a hospice is a part of palliative care as hygiene or pain relief. The right of every person is to spend the last days of his life so that it is not painful, not lonely, not embarrassing – and therefore not scary. In addition, palliative care is also the support of relatives of the patient with medical, psychological, and legal problems.
End-of-life care in treating patients with oncology is gaining more importance because patients want to ensure their emotional state is balanced before death. Palliative care was long neglected due to the lack of knowledge of its implementation. Physicians have tried to alleviate people’s incurable conditions through medical treatment; yet, they did not pay attention to their needs and emotions. End-of-life care development was a significant step towards improving the quality of life of those facing severe illness, limiting their abilities. The findings demonstrate that the inclusion of specific communication and treatment programs improves palliative care. The mentioned support programs prove the necessity of active nurses’ engagement in the end-of-life care procedures since their involvement can alleviate people’s physical and emotional conditions. Nurses’ participation is a crucial factor affecting the quality of life of patients having incurable oncology. In general, hospitals must develop special palliative programs where nurses would take the leading role and ensure the physical and mental comfort of patients with cancer.
References
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