Palliative Care Report: Ethical Considerations and Support Networks

This report addresses key aspects of palliative care, starting with communication strategies for patients and families regarding end-of-life issues, emphasizing informed decision-making, and the role of nurses in guiding discussions about resuscitation and pain management. It then explores ethical dilemmas, particularly the conflict between patient autonomy and beneficence when a patient wishes to go home despite potential increased pain. The report identifies communication barriers experienced by palliative care professionals, including fears and lack of preparation, prognosis challenges, ethical concerns related to euthanasia, and managing family members' emotions. Finally, it highlights strategies for supporting the emotional and social well-being of palliative care professionals, including resilience-building activities and social support networks like community health nursing and motivational therapists.

Running head: PALLIATIVE CARE
Palliative Care
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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PALLIATIVE CARE
Answer: 1
While communicating with the palliative care patients and with their family members
I will mainly put emphasis in the end of life issues while giving them proper information for
informed decision making process. Katz and Johnson (2016) are of the opinion that it is the
duty of the nursing professionals to guide the patients/family member about the concept
behind resuscitation and do-not resuscitation in palliative care for helping them to take
informed decisions. Special emphasis will also be given to regarding how end-of-life care
helps to overcome the painful symptoms helping towards smooth transitions.
Answer: 2
When palliative care patients want to go home after curing pain, as per the ethical
guidelines, the principal of autonomy comes into consideration. Autonomy means having
right to vouch for personal consent and healthcare professionals are required to abide by the
same. However, going home might increase the pain further as pain management in palliative
care do not provide a permanent solution and pain therapy is required to be repeated
frequently. So under the concern of patient’s harm and hamper in the physical well-being the
ethical right of beneficence comes into consideration (Noddings, 2018).
Answer: 3
De-briefing findings
1. The palliative care professionals experience certain barrier in effective communication
with the patients and their family member like fear of causing distress, feeling unprepared for
end-of-life conversation

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PALLIATIVE CARE
2. Prognosis and navigating patient readiness creates barrier in delivering proper pain
management therapy
3. Confusion regarding the ethical management during euthanasia
4. Knowledge regarding briefing patient’s family members and handling their concerns or
impatience
5. Knowledge in ethics of autonomy, beneficence and non-malfeasance in the palliative care
Answer: 4
Palliative care professionals though highly trained for caring patients, they receive
little training in caring for themselves. Emotional well-being will supported by increase in
resilience through meditation and healthy lifestyle activities. Social health and wellbeing can
be achieved through rewards and recognition along with social acknowledgements.
Additional support networks
The social support networks for the palliative care nurses include:
 Community health nursing by the Australian Primary Healthcare Nurses Association
 Motivational therapists working under NGOs
(Aranda, 2016)

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PALLIATIVE CARE
References
Aranda, S. (2016). Framing palliative care. In Palliative Care Nursing (pp. 3-5). Routledge.
Katz, R. S., & Johnson, T. A. (Eds.). (2016). When professionals weep: Emotional and
countertransference responses in palliative and end-of-life care. Routledge.
Noddings, N. (2018). The Ethics of Care. In Palliative Care within Mental Health (pp. 53-
60). Routledge.