Palliative Care: Nursing Strategies for Shortness of Breath and Social Isolation

This essay discusses nursing strategies for palliative care patients suffering from shortness of breath and social isolation. It highlights the importance of respiratory and palliative care nurses in providing effective care and support.

Running head: PALLIATIVE CARE
Topic: PALLIATIVE CARE
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

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Introduction
Palliation focuses on the physical care, pain, mental stress at any stage of the ailment.
Palliative care is important for the effective treatment of people during the last years of their
life. Studies based on the effect of palliative care on patients have found that effective care
and support enhances the coping abilities of patients and the quality of life. Exact palliative
care ensures an escalated quality of life for patients including emotional and psychological
well-being of patients. This essay would deal with interventions in the case study and revolve
around their effectiveness in provision of care and comfort.
Nursing priorities for palliative care
a) Strategies for her shortness of breath
The first nursing priority would be assistance in shortness of breaths for Chronic
Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD).
For effective care and treatment a respiratory nurse would be required. The primary
requirement of the respiratory nurse would be to implement and plan treatments for the
patients suffering from respiratory illness. The nurse should also help the patient in
prevention of the respiratory problems which develop or worsen in absence of strict
monitoring (Vahedian- Azimi et al., 2015). Various roles of the nurse include assistance with
the respiratory care performing diagnostic testing to know an idea about the stages of the
disorder Mrs Mary has been suffering from. Moreover the nurse would interview the patient
based on the symptoms and the previous diagnoses. Moreover, helping the patients with
various respiratory issues is another function along with management of the medications,
breathing treatments and the airways. This is important for the proper design of assessment
based on the dose and the effects of the medications of the patient. Furthermore, assistance is

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required in the administration of oxygen therapy. The nurse should also expertise in her skills
of spreading awareness and educating the families and the patients for maintenance of
respiratory health, utilisation of regular exercise and regimens so that apart from an patient
centred care she receives a proper family centred care as well. It would also involve
collaboration along with healthcare professionals inclusive of therapists as well as physician.
Thus an effective multidisciplinary team would be required for provision of the exact
requirements for escalation of Mrs Brown’s health. The nurse could also help in
establishment of a proper therapeutic relationship with her patient for approaching a holistic
care approach (Flascas, 2018).
According to Philip et al (2018), action researches done for addressing palliative care
needs of patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disorders have found that a
proper inter-level dynamics at team, individual as well as organisational levels. Thus these
act as important factors for measuring the capacity of the nurses for embedding non specialist
palliative care in their practice.
Referring to the case study, it can be seen that Mrs, Brown who is a 62 year old lady
and has difficulty in breathing. One of the major problems is her shortness of breath. After
consultation with her general practitioner, she has shown exacerbations of COPD. Thus
shortness of breath has been accompanied by rhinorrhoea for several days. These symptoms
require effective nursing strategies for her fast recovery. The identified heath issue in this
case study for Mrs Brown is shortness of breath (Dumas et al., 2015).
Thus from the following paragraphs it can be understood that proper nursing
strategies are required for assessment of Mrs Brown’s shortness of breaths. Moreover, help of
a respiratory nurse is required along with proper support from multidisciplinary team which
would be effective in provision of an effective plan of care and support.

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b) Strategies for coping with her social isolation
Secondly, a palliative care nurse would be required for supporting her issues
regarding social isolation due to the chronic diseases. According to the case study Mrs Brown
has been suffering from depression as discussed with her general practitioner. As a result of
her poor heath she has been experiencing panic attacks. Thus, such problems has led to social
isolation which is considered as one of the pivotal factors requiring her assessment of health.
Nurses in the palliative care have been trained for dealing with various complex
symptoms as well as pain including communication regarding serious illness which would
support patients regarding anxiety, pain, and mental illnesses like social isolation. The
palliative care nurse would assist Mrs Brown with depression in this case (Nursing and
Midwifery Board of Australia, 2018). Moreover, nursing strategies include improvement
patients’ ability for tolerating medical; treatments which would help in allowing patient to
increase their control over care through the understanding inclusive of treatment options as
well as matching the goals for the options. Palliative care nurse would help the support family
caregivers and help in the provision of practical support (Ferrel, Coyle & Paice, 2015).
Another experimental research has been done for examining self-help intervention for
the caregivers among all palliative care staff. Moreover it would include potential
attituditional barriers for the prolonged brief disorder for interventions for grief. The results
of the finding shave highlighted on the fact that clinical staff have been. Furthermore, the
innovative and conceptual model for the main aim of provision of palliative care have
required many formal testing methods inclusive of rigorous mixed methods for the
determination of the theoretical propositions for its effective translation into feasibility
effectiveness as well as benefits. Thus a trained model for palliative care had been provided
(Philip et al. 2018). According to the studies conducted by Davis et al (2018), investigations

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about the palliative nurse caring confidence have been helpful in identification and
management of patients for the signs and symptoms like social isolation related issues which
involve depression along with patients as well as their family members along with difficulty
regarding different depressive symptoms for grief (Duffey, 2015). Thus the aim of the study
has been highlighting that clinical staff had been positively oriented and have accepted the
assistance needed for patients with depression. They have been made aware of the
interventions for grief, and have shown confidence for identification and management of
psychological stress appropriately (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2016).
Thus from the following paragraphs it can be understood that Mrs Brown had been
suffering from depression and thus she would require the assistance and mental support from
her palliative care nurse who would help her recover from her past traumatic experiences. A
holistic approach amalgamated with establishment of a solid therapeutic relationship would
be beneficial in providing effective care and support to her patient.
Conclusion
Thus form the above essay it has been understood that Mrs Brown is a 62 year ole
lady who would need assistance regarding her shortness of breath and depression. She has
also been suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder. The two nursing strategies
highlighted in this essay is assistance for shortness of breath and assistance regarding
depression and mental disabilities. The two important health care professionals important for
the provision of effective care and support both mentally and physically are the respiratory
and palliative care nurse. Assessment strategies along with the incorporation of interventions
would also include assessments and interventions for proper support in healthcare. All these

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interventions would help in the recovery of Mrs Brown and escalate her present health
condition.

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References
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