Palliative Care - Free Paper Sample

Introduction

Palliative care is a form of treatment and attention provided to people suffering from life threatening diseases such as cancer, dementia, or neural infections. It is a technique that facilitates quality of health enhancement among patients and their relatives when dealing with adverse medical conditions (Avati et al., 2018). There are various palliative care givers such as clergy members, traditionalists, and nurse practitioners. There are several principles of palliative care, which include reducing pain; it helps the clients view death like a typical life passage; it benefits the spiritual and mental needs of a patient (Lovell & Yates, 2014). It is also suitable during the early stages of disease development to ensure the creation of a strong foundation to help the clients and their loved ones throughout the entire medical recovery process (Haun et al., 2017).

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Influences

The case study decided to focus on the indigenous people since they are the least likely community to receive quality medical care in various developed nations across the globe (Shahid et al., 2018). The purpose of the investigation was to provide comprehensive information on the challenges faced by the indigenous people and develop strategies that can help in ensuring the provision of adequate medical products and services (Shahid et al., 2018). The less privileged community suffers from adverse medical infections and thus has a higher mortality rate than other groups of people. But most of them do not get the opportunity to experience palliative care that can boost their mental and health status. The less privileged people who receive attention do not acquire the best quality due to internal and external factors.

External Factors

The case study evaluated patients' experiences suffering from chronic diseases such as cancer (Shahid et al., 2018). The researchers noted that the key external factors affecting the quality of palliative care include misinformed patients, barriers, economic situation and disease trajectory (Shahid et al., 2018).

Misinformed Patients

Lack of information enhances sense of confusion on the concept of palliative care. Indigenous people are illiterate thus they perceive the medical strategy as a way of health facilities extorting them to acquire more money (Lovell & Yates, 2014). The clients view the technique as a lucrative tool since they do not understand the benefits and advantages of implementing palliative care during their treatment process. The factor influences patients to lack a source of hope when experiencing a devastating health condition. Lack of comprehensive research facilitates the rise in misconception and misperceptions on the matter. (Lovell & Yates, 2014). The research noted that there were patients who thought that the technique is only suitable for individuals suffering from various forms of cancer (Shahid et al., 2018). People are not aware of the expenses and insurance policies on palliative care thus they assume that it is expensive hence it is not suitable for the less privilege communities. People also believe that individuals who should receive palliative care are near the point of death, which is false. It is a form of medical therapy that can coordinate with pharmaceutical drugs to ensure that patients are able to control the diseases.

The study noted that there is a want for the effective creation of awareness among the indigenous society and the people delivering medical care (Shahid et al., 2018). It is a strategy that can allow individuals to gain comprehensive knowledge of the principles and factors surrounding palliative care to ensure precise execution to save lives. Relatives, patients, and medical officials should get the opportunity to learn more about the concept since they can encourage them to develop techniques that can enforce effective medical attention. Experts should conduct extensive study on palliative care by addressing the features and significance of the aspect among patients in the community. There are various strategies that the less privileged community can use to enforce awareness on the matter among diverse individuals. The study indicated the use of the peer to peer program, which entails the use of the word of mouth to ensure that individuals living in inaccessible areas learn more about palliative care and its significance (Shahid et al., 2018). The training programs should enforce culturally sensitive guidelines to promote the sense of inclusivity and acceptance in the diverse community.

Barriers

People from the less privileged society noted that various forms of barriers affect the delivery of comforting care when in critical medical conditions (Aldridge et al., 2018). Cultural barriers hinder the effectiveness of palliative care among the indigenous people since they mainly consist of individuals from minority ethnic groups (Perrin & Kazanowski, 2005). Cultural differences make medical practitioners to treat people differently, which can encourage the aspect of segregation and discrimination when executing palliative care services (Davies, et al., 2008) The participants mentioned that they live far away from prestigious medical facilities that ensure adequate health care; thus, they get attention from local dispensaries that tend to neglect them, which causes frustration and mental exhaustion (Shahid et al., 2018).

Economic Situation

The study indicated that the less privileged community cannot afford to purchase essential hospice products and services (Shahid et al., 2018). It illustrates that they do not have adequate money to cater for additional expenses when they receive palliative care during their stay in a medical facility. It undermines individuals from employing the effective form of palliative care while others avoid the strategy due to poverty. Patients who cannot afford the palliative care program do not receive spiritual, physical, and emotional nourishment, which contributes to the rise in discouragement and hopeless that enforces a high mortality rate among the indigenous population. Health facilities should partner with both governmental and non-governmental organizations to provide financial funds to support people who do not have money to pay for palliative care. It is a strategy that can benefit poor individuals since it ensures that they receive mental, spiritual, and emotional boost that can help them in recuperating also eradicate the feeling of loneliness or viewing one’s self as a burden to the family members.

Disease Trajectory

Disease trajectory can be described as the advancement of disease over time. The term is used to define incurable or chronic diseases where the phase of the illness is used to determine what sort of treatment or care a patient should receive (Wowchuk, 2006). Despite advances in ways to assess the stage of a disease, the accuracy is questionable, and it is difficult to estimate the amount of time a palliative patient experiencing chronic or incurable illness is left to live. Patients at old age are the most affected since it is challenging to determine a significant event that signals the disease is in its terminal stage (Wowchuk et al., 2006). Due to the difficulty in assessing the beginning of the terminal stage, they often indicate that the patient may die at any moment, which prevents proper admission of palliative care. It hinders adequate planning, such as informing the patients family and the physician, which is crucial such a stage.

Internal Factors

Internal influences in the provision of palliative care are factors that have an impact on the provision of these services and can be controlled by the health care facility (Clark et al., 2003). The internal factors include relatives' views, lack of effective communication, inadequate palliative experts, and lack of information concerning palliative care.

Relatives' Views

The investigation noted that individuals want to be with their families and friends when they experience adverse health problems that tend to be life-threatening. Relatives view palliative care as a strategy that should involve close individuals to the patient who can partake in decision-making processes. The individuals mentioned that families could play a significant role in preparing a sick person in case of a non-timely death. The availability of parental care ensures that the patients feel comfortable and loved during the difficult moments. The guardians can encourage cancer patients to become strong enough to deal with the harsh effects when undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy. But health facilities do not recommend the concept of people surrounding an ill individual when in the emergency response department or ICU, which hinders the provision of palliative care by their loved ones and relatives. The researchers noted that the family members across the four nations indicated the importance of conducting extensive palliative care at home (Shahid et al., 2018). Health facilities tend to discourage discharging patients when in critical condition since it can worse their medical status.

There are other possible consequences, which tends to hinder the idea of guardians taking care of their children or distant relatives at home (White &Hardy, 2010). For example, sick people tend to have reduced mobility, which requires the relatives to provide extensive care and attention to the patients such as giving them sponge baths, feeding them, and changing their clothes (Munck et al., 2008). It can hinder them from tackling their other responsibilities and duties to the society thus it is advisable for the patients to remain at health care facilities where they are nurses who can provide the necessary services. The participants stated the essence of cultural rituals since they can aid chronic patients by reducing pain or acknowledging that death is near not just to the clients but also to the loved ones (Shahid et al., 2018). The subjects also noted the vital need for leaders such as priests and elders to ensure that the patients maintain a sustainable spirit to encourage and motivate them to continue fighting for their lives (Shahid et al., 2018).

Lack of Effective Communication

The participants mentioned that there should be open and vulnerable communication between medical officers and patients by developing a cordial connection (Shahid et al., 2018). It can ensure that physicians learn about the clients' needs and preferences to ensure the effective delivery of health services. The doctors and nurses should accept the patients' decisions and incorporate them when administering palliative care. For instance, some people prefer food nourishment to be spiritual or cultural. A Canadian study in the research identified cuisine as an effective way of mental and emotional care provision (Shahid et al., 2018).

Conclusion

In conclusion, this paper focuses on a case study that discussed the features of palliative care use to improve the clients' health status. The study viewed the internal and external factors influencing palliative care among indigenous communities living in the Caribbean. The paper also presented the experiences influenced by the internal and external aspects associated with care administered to critically ill patients.