International journal of palliative nursing
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Although it is widely acknowledged that spiritual care is an important component of good palliative care, there remains a lack of confidence about it among healthcare providers. This paper analyses the benefits and drawbacks of using spiritual history-taking tools to address the problem, considering four of the most widely used tools-FICA, FAITH, SPIRITual and HOPE. ⋯ The authors conclude that spiritual history-taking tools do have an important role in identifying the spiritual needs of patients at the end of life, with the 'HOPE' tool most comprehensively addressing the spirituality themes identified as important within the healthcare literature.
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Dion Smyth's review of the internet for palliative nursing.
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Pain is prevalent among older people, yet is often under-recognised and undertreated in people with dementia. The nurse has a central role in identifying and appropriately assessing pain in order to provide effective treatment. Research however suggests there are significant deficits in this area. ⋯ Nurses play a key role in the effective management of pain through the use of pain assessment tools, behavioural observation, and analgesic choice. Pain assessment in dementia remains challenging for nurses due to the complexity and individualisation of pain behaviours. The accessibility of appropriate training, workforce stability and a standardised approach to pain assessment are key to the successful management of pain in older people with dementia.
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Comparative Study
The effect of a care bundle on nursing staff when caring for the dying.
Most Australians die in acute hospital settings. Despite this, hospitals remain ill-equipped to care for dying patients with hospital deaths not uncommonly perceived as distressing by both patients and their families. As a quality improvement project, a care bundle for the dying was developed and piloted on two medical wards. The aim of this study was to examine whether or not the quality initiative had any effect on the ward nurse's attitudes and self-assessed competency to care for dying patients. ⋯ Further research is required to understand if such an initiative approach may, in the long term, positively impacts attitude. This is highly relevant given the increasing numbers of people likely to die in acute care.