End of Life Flashcards
An approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families who face problems associated with life-threatening illness
Palliative Care
Prevent and relieve suffering by early identification, assessment, and treatment of pain and other types of physical, psychologic, emotional, and spiritual distress.
Palliative Care
______ care extends into the period of End of Life care as well as the bereavement period that follows.
Palliative
Palliative care focus of nursing care.
- Relief of ______, including pain.
- Regard dying as a ______ process.
- Affirm life and neither hasten or ______ death.
- Support ______ care and enhance quality of life.
- Offer support to allow ______ to live their lives as actively as possible.
- Offer support to ______ during patient’s illness and with their bereavement.
Symptoms Normal Postpone Holistic Patients Family
Hospice
- Concept of care that provides compassion, concern, and support for ______.
- ______ phase of care for people with an incurable disease.
- Emphasis on ______ management, advance care planning, spiritual and family support including bereavement.
- Team are interdisciplinary: physicians, nurses, pharmacist, dietitians, physical therapists, social workers, CNAs, chaplains, and family members
Dying
Last
Symptom
Admission into Hospice
- Patient must desire the services and agree in ______ that only hospice care can be used to treat the terminal illness.
- ______ physicians certify that the patients prognosis is terminal with less than ______ months to live.
Writing
Two, 6 months (Only 1 needed to re-certify)
End-of-Life Care
______ phase of illness when death is imminent, could be a few hours to several weeks. List goals (4)
Final
Goals (A) Provide comfort and supportive care (B) Improve the quality of patient’s remaining life (C) Ensure a dignified death (D) Provide emotional support to family
Physical Changes at EOL
Sensory - Related to decreased circulation and O2 levels. Discuss changes (3).
- Blurred vision, decreased sense of taste, smell, pain & touch sensation.
- Blink reflex lost - Pt appear to stare.
- Hearing is thought to be last to go.
Physical Changes at EOL
Loss of muscle tone. Discuss changes (2).
- Gag reflex is lost
2. GI & GU failure with loss of sphincter control
Physical Changes at EOL
Circulatory & Respiratory. Discuss changes (4)
- Decreased HR and BP
- Breath sounds may become wet and noisy - “Death Rattle” - mouth breathing & an accumulation of mucus
- Cheyne-Stokes respirations - Alternating periods of apnea and deep, rapid breathing.
- Skin in extremities becomes pale, mottled, and cyanotic, cool to touch.
Supportive Care
Fatigue/Weakness ______ as pt approaches time of death. To minimize skin breakdown, turn pt every ______ hours.
Increases
Two
Supportive Care
Parenteral Fluids may have adverse effects that are not commonly considered: ______ ______. IV lines can become cumbersome and difficult to maintain. Changing IV site can be painful, particularly when pt is cachetic or has no discernible ______.
Fluid Overload
Veins
Cachetic (from Cachexia - Weakness and wasting of the body due to severe chronic illness)
Nutrition at EOL
Most dying pt’s loose their ______. Anorexia may be helpful as the resulting ______ can lead to a sense of well-being and diminish discomfort.
Appetite
Ketosis
Nutrition at EOL
Pt’s body unable to absorb nutrients and clenching of ______ may be only way to express desire to not eat. Educate family of risk of ______. Help families find ______ ways to nurture pt so they can continue to participate and feel valued during the dying process.
Teeth
Aspiration
Alternative
There are two roads to death. Describe the difficult road vs the usual road.
Usual Road: Normal - Sleepy - Lethargic - Obtunded - Semicomatose - Comatose - Dead
Difficult Road: Normal - Restless - Confused - Tremulous - Hallucinations - Mumbling Delirium - Myoclonic Jerks - Seizures - Semicomatose - Comatose - Dead
