Nursing times
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Modern day palliative care has developed over the past 40 years and many government policies have been produced to support the development of services. Guidance sets out the aims and objectives for delivering palliative care, which are that every person with a life threatening illness has the right to receive appropriate palliative care wherever they are. This article explores whether people do have a choice about the care they receive and where that care is delivered.
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To improve understanding of how nurses use technology to wean patients from mechanical ventilation. ⋯ Staff allocation systems should enable them to learn from experienced nurses, while work schedules should be organised to ensure nurses begin weaning when they can offer continuity of care. Knowing the patient has been defined as a characteristic of expert nursing. To be truly patient centred, nurses need to address the barriers that prevent them from getting to "know" patients.
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This article outlines a project to improve end of life care for those who are critically ill, by adapting and implementing a national protocol specially developed for the intensive care unit. The rollout of the pathway is discussed along with an audit which found the trajectory towards death following withdrawal of treatment can be swift. The extent of documentation is, therefore, an important consideration to ensure nurses can balance patients' needs with those of grieving relatives while ensuring bereavement care is accurately documented.