Care of People with Terminal Illnesses - ANMF Policy and Nurse's Role

Running head; Care of people with terminal illness 1
Care of people with terminal illnesses
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Care of people with terminal illnesses 2
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) has several policies,
professional conduct and code of ethics which guides nurses and midwifes in their operations.
Care of patients with terminal illnesses is one of the policies. The policy focuses on the attention
and the help that a nurse should provide to a person with a terminal illness in respect to existing
legal and ethical codes of conduct (Braun, et al 2016). The main aim of this paper is to focus on
the policy regarding to care of people with mental illness laying emphasis on the role of the
nurse and how the policy affects health and wellbeing of the patients.
It is always traumatizing for a patient to know that he or she has been diagnosed with a
terminal illness. As a matter of fact, it elicits mixed reactions among different people. There are
also other instances where even diseases that are curable worsen and get to a point of no further
treatment. Such are the patients who require end of life care and treatment. The nurses have
several roles to attend to accord the patient the help he/she needs. To begin with, it is the role of
the nurse to provide care and treatment with a holistic approach. The nurse acts as a link and a
health advocate between the patient and their family and sees to it that the patient is not only
accorded relevant medical treatment but also the emotional and psychological support.
According to Aldridge, et al (2016) the nurse is also expected to provide information
relevant in helping the patient to make end of life decisions. However, the existing laws and
ethics clearly indicate that the nurse should not engage in euthanasia or any activity that can be
interpreted as assisted suicide. A nurse should always ensure that people die a natural death in
the most dignified way.it is therefore the role of the nurse to provide relevant palliative care to
relieve the patient of pain and other symptoms of infection. The palliative care should also
involve providing psychosocial support towards the end of life.

Care of people with terminal illnesses 3
Finally, the nurses and other caregivers are charged with the responsibility of
communicating to other care givers on the wishes of the patient and other related information
about the patient. For patients with a documented advance care directive, the nurse should adhere
to the directives and also let other health workers know about the directive. For the case of
children and neonates, the nurse is required to consult the family letting them know the available
choices of treatment and their preferred course of action (MacArtney, et al (2016).
How the policy helps the health and well-being of the patients
The policy has been essential in safeguarding the health and well beings who have a
terminal illness or those requiring end of life care. Patients have been able to receive the
necessary medical and psychosocial support from nurses. The people have also had the chance of
deciding the path of treatment from existing available options and the right not to be treated if it
deems fit for them. The decision not to receive treatment may arise from a patient due to future
uncertainties, fear or pain of their health condition.
The patients are also able to receive palliative care that not only alleviates pain and
suffering but also improves the quality of life they live. Pratt, & Wood, (2015) explains that
people who receive palliative care live longer and more fulfilling lives even when faced with a
terminal condition. The policy has continued to benefit people since the health care providers are
able to assess a patient’s condition in time, analyze personal needs and recommend the necessary
action in time before the situation gets out of hand.
The policy has also helped patients to have their privacy maintained which helps to
maintain their self-esteem. In addition, Wiener, et al (2015) explains that the nurses also consider
a person’s beliefs, culture and social expectations so that they offer treatment and care in the best