THE END OF LIFE CARE

Running head: END OF LIFE CARE
END OF LIFE CARE
Name of Student
Name of University
Author note

END OF LIFE CARE1
Definition of the concept of interest
In cancer and other terminal diseases where the patient has no chances of recovery,
given the biomedical and the surgical treatments along with the allied health treatment cannot
aid the complete recovery of the patient, in other words, there is no cure for the disease, the
patient is transitioned to end of life care. Decision for end of life care is based on patient’s
physical and mental sufferings. As far as psychological sufferings of the patient are
concerned, it can be said that when a person is nearing death and the subject is concerned
about it – there develops a fear, an anxiety and more importantly an existential crisis that is
very perturbing and disruption (Zaccara et al., 2017). Hence, a transition to improve the
comfort level as well as the quality of life of the terminally ill patient thus preparing him for a
peaceful death – is end of life care. By definition, end of life care refers to the clinical, family
oriented caring process of patient in where the comfort and peace of the patient is enhanced
or at least maintained despite the disease being incurable, advanced and progressive.
The surrogate terms
There are various surrogate terms that are used along, such as palliative care, pain and
palliative care, hospice care which are somewhere related to end of life care. Palliative care
encompasses the use of high quality medications, often in medical experimentation for a
chance recovery of the terminally ill patient. The advanced life support devices, family
support also are the major components of this recovery oriented high quality clinical
intervention. When not succeeded, the patient moves to end of life care. Hospice care is a
more focused end of life care where the patient only some days to live and is attributed by
more deep spiritual and psychosocial support. End of life care is also considered by some, as
a form of passive euthanasia.

END OF LIFE CARE2
Literature review
Gott, M., Robinson et al., (2019) aims to understand the underpinnings of a good end
of life care services being delivered to the aged patients in the health care institutions. The
study found out empathy, family and staff support, strengthening and involving of family
framework in care process of old patient and family education are the important components
of the end of life care (Oliver, 2016).
Jang et al., (2019) aimed to understand the important aspects of humanistic and
spiritual nursing in the end of life care processes. The strength of the study is that the critical
care nurses identified the existential crisis in the patient, preparedness as a nurse and
emphasizing with the patient’s spiritual transition is very critical to ‘end of life care’ (Bolt et
al., 2019).
The attributes
It is critical to note that in certain diseases such as cancer and other terminal
conditions, the patient’s suffers unbearably in certain situations or throughout, provided the
terminal disease is progressing and the clinical, biomedical treatments are not being able to
treat the patient. In treatment of terminal cancer or even in critical neurologically ill patients
admitted in the intensive care unit for a prolonged period of time, the critical questions
concerns the subjects of organ donation, withdrawal of the life supporting services and the
ethics concerning the patient’s right to autonomy, integrity, right to self -determination, right
to participate or withdraw his or her own self from the disease – arises. Hence, the patient
who has a sound cognition and proper judgment to decide for himself can opt for an ‘End of
Life Care’ (EoLC) where all the active medical and clinical treatments targeted at treating of
the disease or condition is withdrawn and focus is transitioned to taking care of needs and last
desires of the patient (emotional, psychological and spiritual) in order to improve his or