Posted: February 9th, 2015

Palliative Care

Paper, Order, or Assignment Requirements

 

 

spacing 1.5
The essay is an analytical reflection on an episode of care of a patient,the issues it raised,not a case history or general discussion about a specific issue of symptom to focus on patient,family and one episode of care related to the 4 learning outcomes also focusing to what was done to patient and family during the episode of care.(It about thinking about what I did, Why I did it.Was it the right thing to do or not? how do I know Who said it)my own experience is also allowed as evidence if it agrees with theory. see plan and feedback please stick to feedback during writing each learning outcome should approximately have 600 words academic references journals articles and books if online not many real proper e.g DOH

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Introduction

You have chosen an interesting patient to discuss and have chosen an appropriate

optional learning outcome – LO 3, and these are identified in the introduction. You

should also identify the purpose of the essay and explain how the assignment will be

structured. However, your episode of care gives too much clinical and personal

history but does not identify exactly what happened or your role in it. I cannot see the

relevance of his religion or past medical history. You need to be clear what the

episode of care was. My interpretation is that you took over for the day shift and that

Jarvis was deteriorating and in pain, but wouldn’t go back to bed, so you had to

support his wishes to sit in his favourite place, by the window. You do not need to

use a specific model of reflection as the LO’s should be used as sub-headings.

Your critical analysis should show me that you can apply knowledge gained through

the module to your practice. Remember that there is a reflective element to this

assessment so don’t lose sight of your role in this episode.

LO 1:

You identify the broad concepts that you will discuss and some of the key issues for

your patient. This LO is concerned with the importance of palliative care in your place

of work so you need to be clear about why the care home was or was not the

appropriate place for this patient with his condition and needs, bring in the GSF here,

and any other formal training in end-of-life care. Preferred place of care as well as

MDT working may also be relevant here. You weren’t required to give references,

and yours are not correctly written; the date for the Human Rights Act is 1998.

LO 2:

You identify some of the broad concepts that you will discuss. However, there is little

detail of the key issues. You do not mention your patient’s family in the scenario, so I

am not clear of their relevance to your episode of care. Here you should discuss the

importance of good communication in a situation like this, and explain what specific

communication skills you used and why. Having difficult conversations may also be

relevant, and advance care planning as a communication tool would sit here.

LO 3:

Be careful here. In this LO you need to discuss the principles of effective symptom

management and why it was important for your patient – rather than focussing too

much on clinical issues related to specific symptoms. What was your role in this

episode of care as a non- specialist nurse, and what was the role of the CNS?

LO 4:

You have identified some ethical issues but I am not sure how they are relevant to

your episode of care. You should also identify the relevant ethical principles, which,

in this case would seem to be. Autonomy, beneficence and non-maleficence, as you

needed to support the patient to do what he wanted, rather than what you thought

would be best.

Conclusion

You summarise the key issues for your patient, and identify what you have learned.

But you need to make sure that you discuss all these issues in the relevant LO, as

most of them are not mentioned. You should also think about what else you could

have done to improve the patient’s situation.

General comments

You have identified some of the key concepts and issues but you need to clearly

describe an episode of care and keep this, and your role in it, as the focus for your

discussion.

Make sure that you take a critical approach by exploring both positive and negative

aspects related to this episode of care.

Your plan suggests that you have the basis for developing an interesting and

appropriate essay.