The cancer journal
-
Review
Interdisciplinary spiritual care for seriously ill and dying patients: a collaborative model.
Spirituality is essential to healthcare. It is that part of human beings that seeks meaning and purpose in life. Spirituality in the clinical setting can be manifested as spiritual distress or as resources of strength. ⋯ Spiritual care is interdisciplinary care-each member of the interdisciplinary team has responsibilities to provide spiritual care. The chaplain is the trained spiritual care expert on the team. Optimally, all healthcare professionals, including the chaplain, on the team interact with each other to develop and implement the spiritual care plan for the patient in a fully collaborative model.
-
Dyspnea, defined as uncomfortable or labored breathing, is a common and often devastating cause of distress for patients and their caregivers with advanced cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. The mechanism by which dyspnea develops is not fully understood, but it involves integration of the central respiratory complex with the sensory (perceptual) cortex. The gold standard of diagnosis is patient self-report. ⋯ Medical or surgical management can be directed toward underlying causes. Advanced care planning should include discussions concerning the burdens and benefits of medical/surgical management of underlying causes of dyspnea to more effectively direct goals of care. This article reviews current literature on dyspnea, with a focus on items published since 2000.