The Effective Management of Palliative Care - Article Example

? Policy Analysis 30th April, Policy Analysis Introduction Nursing is described as being of the most vital fields in the medical and health care sector. It is, therefore, important to include the nurses in policy making by considering their opinions. Nurses have been involved in the making of policies in the health care sector thus increasing their activity level. As an appropriate practice for effective management, the nurses and the, managers in this sector should be in agreement on the created policies. It is also important to have a clear frame work for policy analysis in nursing. Nursing policies as a result have led to the formation of major reforms in the health sector with the purpose of improving the health care provision (Mason, Kline &Mary, 2007). The main aim of this policy analysis is to discuss the factor that may be affecting the nursing sector and the health care provision (Dempski & Westrick, 2008). This is a policy analysis on the effective management of palliative care and the measures that should be taken to improve on it. Palliative care is the special medical care that is provided to people infected with serious diseases. The main aim is palliative care is to provide the patient with relief from the pain and stress associated with the illness and improve the life of the patients and their families. Palliative care requires a combination of efforts for doctors and nurses among other specialists in the medical field to work towards ensuring that the patient is comfortable and in a stable condition (Dempski & Westrick, 2008). According to the nursing framework, it is recommended that regardless of the age of the patient or the stage of the illness the patient, should be attended through a curative treatment (Hendtrick, 2000). Some of the conditions that require palliative care especially in their critical stages include; chronic illnesses such as cancer, heart complications kidney failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among others (Reb, 2003). Palliative care is responsible for conditions such as pain, fatigue, nausea, constipation, appetite loss and lack of sleep. Palliative also helps the patient gain the strength and motivation to carry on with life. It also helps an individual understand the methods of treating different conditions and have control over some conditions. For palliative care to be successful there needs to be a combined effort and collaboration between the patient, nurses and the medical specialists. The medical specialists responsible for this process include doctors, nurses, pharmacists, therapists and nutritionists. The patient is required to be close to their family and spend quality time with them. The main importance of these teams is that they support the patient in every step by controlling their symptoms, and assisting the patient to understand their treatment process and options. The close relationship with these teams also helps provide better communication, better approach of the pain and other symptoms, support on complex treatments and emotional and spiritual support from the family (Reb, 2003). Globally, there has been and increased need for palliative care as a result of the increase in the occurrence of chronic diseases. It is therefore important to create palliative care networks that are more cost effective with responsive multi agency settings. One of the important factors to consider in the palliative care networks is the professional skills of the medical specialists (Reb, 2003). As a measure to facilitate the evaluation of palliative care networks, a policy to create a framework to evaluate palliative care networks was created to focus on the professional collaboration, community awareness and patient cantered care. This frame work was developed based on the previous models used in the evaluation of health systems and literature on the operations of palliative care networks. The frame work will promote an appropriate structure in the palliative care provision, and manage the process of palliative care as well as the results of the palliative care process (Reb, 2003). The factors considered in this framework play a major role in ensuring that efficient provision of palliative care. Considering that the patients require specialized care, treatment and medication, this frame work will act as a guideline for the process. The frame work will also play a beneficial role in providing cost effective palliative care. Additionally, the framework will promote the close association within the palliative care networking order to ensure the patients needs and expectations are met (Reb, 2003). Palliative care can be provided at hospitals, homes or hospitals or any appropriate setting where the patient is provided with their physical, psychological and spiritual needs. However, providing enough palliative care professionally may be a challenge in communities where proper health care is not accessible. Palliative care is mostly essential to the aging population who are more prone to more chronic diseases as compared to the younger people (Reb, 2003). Due to the challenge of inaccessibility to proper health care from professional medical specialists, it has been estimated that approximately 80% of the people are not treated for the condition. There is a need to co-ordinate palliative care because most people are suffering as they cannot access enough treatment as well as social support. This factor has resulted into the realization of measures to provide collaborative and cost effective palliative care through creation of governing policies (Tingle & Cribb, 2002). These formal policies have currently been realized in various countries like the United Kingdom, Netherlands and Canada. The quality of palliative care provision is determined by how well the networks of health care organization and professional collaborate to meet the needs of the patient (Reb, 2003). Some of the activities that enhance collaboration of the palliative care networks include joint training programs, sharing information and joint policy development among others. A formalized palliative care network is important at this point, and as is required by the structure. The care network will be monitored by a steering board that will be in charge of providing efficient leadership as well as direction in the local based palliative care provision (Sara, Veatch & Taylor, 2010). The appointed steering board will also be responsible for making decisions. However, the process of decision making will also include the members of the professional care givers. The steering board will also be responsible for the improvement of social care and creating policies that govern the practice unlike the system where the members operate independently (Mason, Kline &Mary, 2007). The creation of the framework will evaluate the level of collaboration within the palliative care network and also consider principles and condition of the health care environment. Factors related to the palliative care network such as patient centered care and community readiness will also be considered (Fletcher & Holt, 1995). As stated, the frame work is divided into three; system structure, palliative caring process and the patient’s outcome. The system structure includes the availability of human resources and material as well as the environmental physical, social and economic characteristics (Brent, 2000). The process includes the activities that are carried out by the professional care givers while the outcome refers to the change or improvement in the patient’s condition (Reb, 2003). It will be essential to evaluate the palliative care functioning which is determined by the patients’ outcome before making any policies or recommendations. The frame work has three constructs that are essential in determining the palliative care network; collaborative care, community readiness and patient centered care. Collaborative care is where health care providers partner to deliver care and acquire the attention of the policy makers therefore they become a priority when reforms are being made in the healthcare sector (Mason, Kline &Mary, 2007). Collaboration is the main element in the integration of healthcare. Research has indicated that as a result of collaboration, patients have a greater satisfaction and relieve from pain and other symptoms. The community based approach is where environmental factors such as the social and political conditions are considered before the implementation of the program or policies. Additionally, community readiness can also be used for the evaluation of different programs as well as predicting the sustainability of the program (Hendtrick, 2000). While making policies and recommendations while using the community readiness based approach, it is essential to first establish the support capacity of the idea. Patient centered care refers to the provision of care in a respective way that meets the need and expectations of the patients (Westrick, 2006). This will include viewing the patient’s perspectives towards the cares decisions and policies. This method is however not professional but it may play a beneficial role in making critical decisions and policies as well as build strong relationships between the patients and the care givers by facilitating identification of the personal goals as well as the patients expectations (Mason, Kline &Mary, 2007). Currently, some of the association have been formed the monitor the health care sector which also involves the palliative care provision. One such association is the American Nursing Association which represents over 3 million nurses through its constituent nursing associations. American Nursing Association is responsible for maintaining high standards in the health care sector. The American nursing associations also plays the role of protecting the rights of nurses as well as addressing the issues affecting the nurses. Another such association is the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), which acts as the representative of graduate nursing education. This association is involved with academic activities and research with the aim of improving the provision of health care and supporting professional nursing education. References Brent, J. (2000). Nurses and the law: a guide to principles and applications. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders. Dempski, K. & Westrick, S. (2008). Essentials of Nursing Law and Ethics. Bolingbrook: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Fletcher, N., & Holt, J. (1995). Ethics, Law and Nursing. Manchester: Manchester University Press. Hendtrick, J. (2000). Law and ethics in nursing and health care. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes. Mason, J., Kline, L. & Mary, W. (2007). Policy & politics: in nursing and health care. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science Health. Reb, A. M. (2003). Palliative and end-of-life care: Policy analysis. Oncology Nursing Forum, 30(1): 35-50: Sara, F., Veatch, R. & Taylor, C. (2010). Policy & politics: in nursing and health care. Bolingbrook: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Tingle, J. & Cribb, A. (2002). Nursing law and ethics. New Jersey: Blackwell Science. Westrick, S. (2006). Quick Look Nursing: Legal and Ethical Issues. Bolingbrook: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Read More