Palliative Care for Lung Cancer Patients

This assignment explores the crucial aspects of palliative care for a patient diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. It delves into the patient's medical history, emphasizing her smoking past and symptoms leading to the diagnosis. The focus shifts to the aims of the poster, which highlight nutritional support, family education about lung cancer, coping strategies during treatment and after death, and financial assistance. The assignment concludes with the physician's role in providing counsel to the family, managing nausea caused by chemotherapy, and encouraging social-psychological support from cancer societies.

Introduction
Lung cancer has become one common cause of mortality among people. The
carcinoma is characterized by uncontrolled growth of tissues in the lungs. In most
cases it develops in the epithelium layer of the bronchial tree.
Patient medical history
Patients admitted to the oncology unit must obtain the nursing history. In this
case the client 56 years admitted, is married and has two mature kids. She has the
history of working in a textile for 33 years before her retirement. She smoked at a
young age, she has a smoking history for years. Mrs. Ava complains of right sided
pain from her upper abdomen. She has the symptoms of dry cough which is growing.
She has also lost weight in the recent, no appetite, has nausea, passes dark urine and
she is fatigued more than usual by day.
Upon examination Mrs. Ava is told she has a stage four lung cancer after
which she is referred to an oncologist. The oncologist explains that the cancer is much
aggressive and that she only has only 3-4 months left to live. It is evident that her
children and husband are not ready for the prognosis, IARC (2014).
Aims of the poster
Enhance Nutrition imbalance risk less body weight due to the effects of therapy done.
To inform and educate the family about the lung cancer disease for the family
To assist the families in the coping during the treatment of the loved one and also
after the eventual death

Assist the family in the budgeting and medication of their family member and
creating the need for awareness on the costs incurred.
In the plan of palliative care for the patient and the family will have to:
Stability on her current measure of weight
Share the concerns and feelings on effects of the disease on the family
Take part in care and reach the appropriate help groups
Understand the illness, procedures and treatment,
Conclusion
As a physician I teach the family to cope, on the effects of the disease, for the
eventual death of Mrs. Ava I would give counsel to family to enable them move on
with their lives. Cancer is such serious and can be traumatizing to the family. It would
also bring about constraint in the financial budgeting in health matters and
medication. I would teach ways to reduce nausea caused by chemotherapy and advice
consult a dietetic expert to develop a feeding program to maintain a proper body
weight Globocan (2008).
Information is key on all the possible effects of cancer with the family, encourage the
family to have the understanding of lung cancer, have the cancer society contact the
family for social psychological support.

References
IARC (2014). Tobacco smoke. In: IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of
Carcinogenic Risks to 13. Humans, Volume 83, Tobacco smoke and
involuntary smoking Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on
Cancer. 51-1187
Globocan 2008 facts about lung cancer mortality rate at
http://globocan.iarc.fr/factsheet.asp. Accessed 15.05.12