Discussion: Holistic Care and Treatments

Discussion: Holistic Care and Treatments

The use of complementary and alternative therapies in the treatment of cancer patients, terminal patients, and many other types of patients is steadily increasing. The Resources also contain much information about the various alternative therapies currently being used.

For this Discussion, you will consider alternative therapies and discuss the challenges associated with them.

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review the Resources pertaining to alternative therapies.
• Select one of the following areas where alternative therapies are being used:
• Find at least one scholarly journal article discussing alternative therapies in your chosen subtopic.

Respond to the following:

• Identify at least one challenge associated with the nurse’s role in providing alternative therapies for patient care.
• Explain how the nurse might integrate the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) approaches in your chosen subtopic and discuss the ethical issues nurses may face.
• What are the main elements you would include in a teaching plan for nurses on the use of CAM in your chosen subtopic?
• What is the shared role of the nurse and patient in developing care plans?

Support your response with references from the professional nursing literature.

Note Initial Post: A 3-paragraph (at least 350 words) response. Be sure to use evidence from the readings and include in-text citations. Utilize essay-level writing practice and skills, including the use of transitional material and organizational frames. Avoid quotes; paraphrase to incorporate evidence into your own writing. A reference list is required. Use the most current evidence (usually ≤ 5 years old).

Holistic and Patient-Centered Care

 

Introduction

 

An important area in nursing practice is in palliative and end-of-life care. Palliative care provides a more holistic approach to patient care and attempts to slow the progression of a disease. Palliative care can include an array of non-pharmaceutical therapies such as massage therapy or yoga. It can also include shorter or smaller treatments aimed at reducing negative side effects.

End-of-life care is about the process of dying. Helping patients and their families through this time can be difficult yet rewarding. Patients deserve respect and quality care through this time as well. Like nurses who practice in palliative care organizations, hospice nurses are moving toward alternative therapies to aid in comforting the terminally ill patient. As more care is being delivered in the home, the role of the nurse in providing palliative and end-of-life care will continue to evolve.

This week, you will consider the emerging role of nursing in palliative and end-of-life care. In addition, the ethical issues nurses face with end-of-life care are examined.

Learning Resources

Required Readings

Aldridge, M. D., Hasselaar, J., Garralda, E., van der Eerden, M., Stevenson, D., McKendrick, K., Centeno, C., & Meier, D. E. (2016). Education, implementation, and policy barriers to greater integration of palliative care: A literature review. Palliative Medicine, 30(3), 224–239. http://doi.org/10.71177/0269216315606645

 

Dabney, B.W. & Tzeng, H.M. (2013). Service quality and patient-centered care. MedSurg Nursing, 22(6), 359-364.  

 

De Jonge, K.E., Jamshed, N., Gilden, D., Kubisiak, J., Bruce, S.R. & Taler, G. (2014).  Effects of home-based primary care on Medicare costs in high-risk elders. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 62(10), 1825-1831. http://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.12974

 

Moir, C., Roberts, R., Martz, K., Perry, J., & Tivis, L. J. (2015). Communicating with patients and their families about palliative and end-of-life care: Comfort and educational needs of nurses. International Journal of Palliative Nursing, 21(3), 109–112. http://doi.org/10.129768/ijpn.2015.21.3.109

 

National Cancer Institute. (2015). Complementary and alternative medicine for health professionals. http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/hp

American Cancer Society. (n.d.). http://www.cancer.org/

 

The American Cancer Society’s website provides information regarding the progress of cancer research, support systems for patients with cancer, and survivor stories. Explore current research on non-invasive and alternative treatment options for cancer patients.

 

Hospice & Palliative Nurses Association. (n.d.). https://advancingexpertcare.org/

National Quality Forum. (2016a). Palliative care and end-of-life care. http://www.qualityforum.org/Topics/Palliative_Care_and_End-of-Life_Care.aspx

 

EthnoMed. (2016). Clinical topics. http://ethnomed.org/clinical

 

The EthnoMed site has great resources regarding cultural diversity and beliefs, patient handouts in different languages, research articles, et cetera.

 

Document: Dashboard Directions (Word document)

 

Document: Sample Dashboard (Excel workbook)

 

Required Media

Walden University, LLC. (2009). Topics in clinical nursing: Future directions of nursing care [Video]. Walden University Blackboard. https://class.waldenu.edu 

 

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 15 minutes.