NRSG370 Clinical Integration: Reflection on Death, Dying, and Care

This assignment is a reflection report by a nursing student, focusing on the student's personal and professional response to the themes of death and dying in a clinical context. The student reflects on an article discussing the impact of chronic illness and stroke on patients and their families, analyzing how this experience altered their perceptions as a healthcare professional. The reflection explores the emotional distress, helplessness, and the importance of communication, empathy, and palliative care in supporting patients and their families. The student uses the 5 Rs of reflection to analyze their experiences, relating them to relevant literature and nursing standards, and outlining how they will apply these insights in future practice. The report emphasizes the significance of non-verbal communication, open discussions, and providing comfort to patients and their families during difficult times, and highlights the need for training and clinical supervision to enhance skills in this area.

Running head: REFLECTION
REFLECTION
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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REFLECTION
Reporting:
While caring for the patient who is suffering from a severe life-threatening disease, thee
prime focus of the health professionals is to provide life-sustaining treatment and care for
comforting death. One article is the most prominent instances of death and dying which I was
reviewing and the article impacted my perception of death dying and illness. Topsfield (2014),
narrated the hardships of suffering from chronic illness like stroke where his husband was
diagnosed with a stroke at the age of 46. She suggested that her partner Edwin suddenly
experience dizziness, nausea and diagnosed with stroke. She suggested that in the hospital the
experience of other individuals with similar incidents send extraordinary messages of hope. It
also changed my perception about a stroke patient I encountered in clinical setting. The
significance of the review is that it altered my perception as a health professional and provide an
insight into the hardship of the family members and a patient with the chronically ill disease.
Responding:
Initially, I had an optimal experience while engaging with the article since the stories of
the patients will alter my personal and professional values as health professionals and I can
collect my personal experience with the patient. However, while I was deeply engaged with the
article, I was distressed, upset and unable to disguise my emotions. I found it difficult to manage
the emotions as I was inexperience in dealing with such emotions. I was devastated as a health
professional to manage such emotions. However, I felt happy and mesmerized when she shared
that how individuals with similar incidents send extraordinary messages of hope.

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Relating:
As discussed by Murray et al. (2017), people living with a terminal illness often
experience helpless, isolated from life and a burden on those they love. They experience
uncertainty regarding death, the burden on loved one which made them vulnerable to the stress
and frustrations. The family members of the individuals usually experience grief, helpless,
conflict and discomfort (Bouri et al., 2017). Patients and their families and carers often show
strong emotional reactions to such negative news. The anger and frustration sometimes may be
directed towards health professionals. In this context, Lobb et al. (2019), highlighted that
nonverbal communication with the family members and the patients along with the open
discussion that reflects empathy reduce discomfort and empower them to accept the reality. After
the management of the emotions, proper palliative care is one of the most effective means of
providing comfort. Therefore, nursing professionals are required to provide comfort to through
communication and respond emotionally to the situation according to standard 2 and standard 6
of NMBA. It will assist nursing professionals to comply with nursing ethics of beneficence and
respect (Nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au 2019).
Reasoning:
Considering these articles, the narrators of the articles high psychological distress,
hopelessness, helplessness and fear of uncertainty which could be prevented through active
engagement of the professionals with the family members. Topsfield (2014) directly subjected to
high psychological distress which impacted the physical wellbeing and hope of living a healthy
life. The situation could be positively altered by empathetic support from professionals which
can encourage them to accept the reality. It altered my perception for a patient of stroke who
family members and had given me an insight into the fact that in order to provide care to such

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REFLECTION
patient, I would require to respect the experience of the patient and prioritize the wishes of the
patient. I would require to provide best possible care to the patients as being a registered nurse it
is my moral obligation to provide comfort to the patient.
Reconstruction:
Previously I was unaware of experience of death and dying and how family members
deal with it. However, after engaging with reading, it altered my perspective as a health
professional regarding providing care to the patients. The conclusion I have drawn from the
review is that the patients often experience helpless, isolated from life and a burden on those they
love. The family members also experience agitation, frustration and helpless. In this context,
non-verbal communication and open discussion supported by palliative care can improve the
comfort of the patients and family members and encourage them to accept the reality. Therefore,
while I will encounter a similar situation, I will involve patients and family members in effective
communication, emphasize them so that they feel comfortable. I will use active listening and
non-judgemental attitude to reflect empathy. I will use comforting word and gesture that can
install a feeling of hope. For acquiring such skills, I will involve in training and clinical
supervision so that I can support the patient in their recovery.

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References:
Bouri, M., Papadatou, D., Koukoutsakis, P., Bitsakou, P., & Kafetzis, D. (2017). The Impact of
Pediatric Palliative Care Training on the Death Attitudes of Health
Professionals. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 10(2).
Lobb, E. A., Bindley, K., Sanderson, C., MacLeod, R., & Mowll, J. (2019). Navigating the path
to care and death at home—it is not always smooth: a qualitative examination of the
experiences of bereaved family caregivers in palliative care. Journal of Psychosocial
Oncology Research and Practice, 1(1), e3.
Murray, S. A., Kendall, M., Mitchell, G., Moine, S., Amblàs-Novellas, J., & Boyd, K. (2017).
Palliative care from diagnosis to death. Bmj, 356, j878.
Nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au (2019). Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia -
Professional standards. [online] . Available at:
https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/Professional-
standards.aspx [Accessed 28 Jul. 2019].
Topsfield, J. (2014). My partner had a stroke at 46: how my family's life changed one sunny day.
The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 12 March 2020, from
https://www.smh.com.au/healthcare/my-partner-had-a-stroke-at-46-how-my-familys-life-
changed-one-sunny-day-20140902-10bed0.html