The nature of medicine entails that those working in the field encounter grief and loss almost daily. Frequently, medical professionals need to perform a supportive function for those family members, relatives, or caregivers going through these feelings. Terminal patients are another category of people that may seek additional comfort and support from surrounding medical staff. Palliative care is a subfield that tries to facilitate the irreversible processes by relieving terminal patients’ pain, distress syndromes, and, generally, by trying to bring solace in the death.
Ensuring that a dying patient’s needs are met to the fullest degree is a function that a nurse within palliative care performs. Even though palliative care revolves around the needs of a dying patient, the impact of demise on other parties also needs to be considered (Nyatanga, 2016). Dying patients, as well as their families, may often experience psychological distress, risk factors of which palliative care can reduce, as to a certain degree, the essence of the approach is end-of-life treatment. Moreover, a health professional may form an emotional attachment to a terminal patient, which could result in mourning episodes that hinder the quality of care provided for other patients (Nyatanga, 2016). The role of palliative care regarding death, seemingly, is not only to ensure the comfort of a dying patient and their family but also to help a medical worker to manage grief and loss in their case.
Dying is an indispensable part of the human experience; nevertheless, some professions render it more habitual than others. Caring for a patient during the last days or weeks of their life is an arduous task that requires extensive knowledge, compassion, and patience. The weight of medical choices considering patients with life-threatening conditions is alleviated by palliative care, as the approach is intended to manage the complexities of nearing death.
References
Nyatanga, B. (2016). Challenges of loss and grief in palliative care nursing. British Journal of Community Nursing, 21(2), 106–106.