Journal of clinical nursing
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To evaluate a dignity care intervention provided by community nurses seeking to address dignity concerns for people with advanced and life-limiting conditions. ⋯ Ensuring dignity is a key aspect of palliative and end-of-life care; however, community nurses may not feel equipped to address this aspect of care. Implementing a dignity care intervention can assist in identifying patient dignity-related concerns and provision of holistic care. Community nurses need more training to assist in difficult conversations relating to dignity and end-of-life care.
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To discuss families' experiences of their interactions when a relative is admitted unexpectedly to an Australian intensive care unit. ⋯ The findings reveal in-depth understanding of families' uncertainty in intensive care. It suggests that intensive care unit staff need to focus clinical interventions on reducing factors that heighten their uncertainty, while optimising strategies that help alleviate it. Families are facilitated to move beyond feelings of helplessness and loss of control, and cope better with their situation.
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To identify barriers to adherence with prescribed analgesic regimens in recently discharged trauma patients. ⋯ It is crucial that nurses and other healthcare professionals are aware of and actively contribute to correct and complete discharge processes. Effective patient and hospital facilitators can contribute to good pain management practices amongst recently discharged trauma patients, which will thereby improve the functional outcomes of this patient population.
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To explore the experiences towards aromatherapy massage use, and to examine the perceived benefits and adverse effects of aromatherapy massage among adult female cancer patients. ⋯ Aromatherapy massage seems to have both physical and psychological benefits for women with cancer. The findings elucidated a wide range of benefits that are perceived in such complex intervention, and the contextual factors that may influence these perceived benefits. This will inform future nurse-led quantitative research in the clinical setting. The study highlights the importance of touch towards a caring relationship and the provision of cancer care with a gender-specific approach. Exploring of the lived experience of aromatherapy massage and its meaning enables the healthcare professionals to gain insights into the needs, preferences and values for cancer care among female cancer population. While nurses play a crucial role in collaborating with cancer patients in the choice of CAM therapies, nurses should advise them to attend practising aromatherapists with recognised training and competency who should be members of aromatherapy professional associations. As aromatherapy is an unregulated profession, nurses may also advise oncology patients on the international guideline and institutional policies for aromatherapy massage use in the hospital setting. Nurses may broaden the caring repertoire by expanding their knowledge and skills in aromatherapy massage such as understanding the basic essential oils pharmacology, massage skills and therapy efficacy for symptoms management in cancer care. Oncology clinicians and nurses should support and guide patients' decision in the use of aromatherapy massage by providing evidence-based and comprehensive advice on the potential benefits, risks and related safety issues.
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To identify whether patients with advanced cancers were at high risk of peripherall"y inserted central catheter-related complications when treated with concurrent chemo-radiotherapy. ⋯ Doctors need to be aware of the risk of peripherally inserted central catheter-related complications in patients with advanced cancers.