Spirituality and Palliative Care - Essay Example

Annotated Bibliography Insert Annotated Bibliography Introduction Cancer is a family health concern whose causes are varied from environmental pollutants, radiation and certain infections among others. Such are the factors that lead to genetic problems that cause abnormal growth of body cells. There is still no specific cure of this complication making it a major concern worldwide. In some cases, the patient is able to get cured and recover but some types of cancer are known to be so dangerous and lead to fatalities. Nurses are generally concerned with palliative care of such patients. Objective knowledge is almost analogous to a fact, something that cannot be refuted. The conclusive issues stated in the articles chosen below are not dependent on personal feelings or prejudice. The articles contain knowledge that has been presented after critical examination of the available facts with no potential for discrepancies. It is quite obvious that the knowledge contained therein exists independently. The articles were chosen specifically due to the fact that they contain knowledge that is factual just like any objective knowledge. The information is quite independent that even after being researched from various authors, the deduction is independent on any prejudice or personal feelings. It is a reality that cancer exists and is caused by all the causes stated in the documents. The palliative care for patients suffering from the various types of cancer is quite explicit and almost similar. Almost all the authors have the same ideas about cancer as a family health concern and its significance to the nursing profession. The first article is authored by the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario who state that environmental pollution can lead to cancer giving an excellent reason why they believe so (RNAO 2008). Echoing these sentiments is the Center for Disease Control; they also go further giving explicit explanations and evidences on the same (CDC 2012). These among the many articles utilized in this research fulfill the characteristics of objective articles on cancer. Literature Searches Feminism and nursing Nursing has been viewed as more of a female suited kind of profession, a good reason why it is dominated by females. According to Converse (2010), feminism has both negative and positive effects in nursing. Apparently, this profession being a potent and easy target for feminist attacks, it became quite ambivalent with the group. This led to a few changes in the profession. The author looks at feminism in terms of power which serves as an easy source of information. A good example stated by the author is on the issue of breast cancer. With the introduction of feminism, more information was disseminated on breast cancer and women were able to protect themselves. Quite implicit in the text are the dichotomies of knowledge and power which was utilized in this way. However, the demerits are quite evident in that the nursing profession was loathed by the male chauvinists who associated it with feminism. Labbok, Smith and Taylor (2009) explored the issue of feminism and breastfeeding. According to the authors, breastfeeding was previously an issue viewed by feminists as an oppressive measure. Despite medical warnings, feminists ostensibly viewed breastfeeding as oppression. This however changed with a few case studies as evidence into the issue of breastfeeding and its positive effects in eliminating breast cancer. According to the authors, feminists are a symbol of power for most women. Some nurses at the conference stated their disapproval of the group claiming that their profession is being overtaken by feminists. Apparently, advice from nurses especially male nurses were ignored unless confirmed by a member from the said group. Williams Jones (2009) states that feminism has an effect on surrogacy and the methods under which it is undertaken. After extensive research, he states that surrogacy had been banned by feminists, something that has changed over the years due to economic constraints among other factors. According to the author, women were quite wary of surrogacy even with nurses preaching the safeness of the the practice. Phenomenonlogy and palliative care Penner and McClement (2008) look and phenomology from the perspective of explaining or discovering causes. Apparently, it gives a more subjective explanation to issues that have already been experienced. The quite explicit point in their article is that experience is the best teacher and experience also leads to more discovery. In some cases, cancer patients are forced to go home to face the inevitable end of life, death. This has led to most untrained caregivers gaining more knowledge of palliative care as they are forced to care for their dying relatives. Spichiger (2008) gives an epistemological review of a patient’s experience in a hospital. After surveying a total of about 7000 patients in hospitals in Switzerland, she came up with the conclusion that after patients experience hospital for a long time, they end up becoming caregivers of themselves. She describes how one patient was even able to administer an intra- venous injection on his arm just by watching the doctor do it over the years. This in a way is sort of endangering the nursing profession because as she describes it “it will be invaluable”. According to the author, palliative care is important for emotional support of the patient. Thomas (2008) gives us a clear overview of the effects of visiting a patient in hospital. After using semi- structured interviews and qualitative approaches, the author revealed that visiting a patient under palliative care makes them feel loved and cared for. However, he states that it is important to also record the experiences of the patient. According to him, cancer patients sometimes need time on their own. He states that patients should be allowed control over who visits. Palliative care and post- structuralism O’Connor, Davis, Abernathy (2010) state the power of language in any sector of a human being’s life. Across the world, palliative care has different meanings. This factor in itself contributes to the people that are stated to have qualified for the service in different places. Phrases and words chosen by specific people may end up confusing both patients and nurses. Therefore, words should be chosen with a lot of care so as not to confuse palliative care givers and those whom the services are meant for. Brynne, (2008) states that the language used in spiritual matters has great effects on palliative care. He traces metaphors back to the historic times to stress its effects and importance. Apparently, the word cancer has been likened to death; it is almost analogous to the worst death sentence ever. The metaphoric image depicted when that word is mentioned is a painful death full of pain and drugs. Therefore, it is important for patients to be counseled before being tested and diagnosed. Austgard (2008) states that second hand information as a method of learning a language can be quite detrimental especially when dealing with cancer patients under palliative care. He stresses that it is important to be able to understand a patient, but care should be taken. When approaching a patient for the very first time, it is important for the patient to feel comfortable. However, language is a very powerful tool and should be used carefully. Spirituality and palliative care Bert (2011) has given us an explicit historical overview of the existence of spirituality. Even in ancient times, human beings believed in a sovereign being and prayed to him for protection against diseases. However confusion occurred with the introduction of western medicine and while some people opted to continue with their traditional medicine, some opted to use the western medicine. This proves to be a problem when dealing with palliative care because most nurses are trained to deal only with western medicines. Flannelly (2012) also gives a clear overview of the historical development of spirituality. When it came to palliative care and spirituality, patients in a way, placed their lives in the hands of care givers. They were almost seen as gods when it came to their lives. In case anything happened to the patient, the care giver was answerable in many ways and sometimes, blame was put on him. Mellanie et al (2009) sees spirituality as a way of man making things right with God. The authors state that at the end of life, man is bound to become closer to God than ever before and in the process, may try to engage the care giver. The care giver or nurse should try as much as possible to face the situation with the patient as a way of helping them through the last part of their lives. In this way, the patients pain will in a way subside and the patient ends up becoming more calm in the process. From the articles above, it is quite clear that cancer is a major family concern and has a great significance to nursing. Controversies exist with some calling it a bad profession and a few still believing in it. A prime example in this case is the issue on feminism. In as much as most people would want to associate nursing with feminism, it is clear that this organization does not work together with the nursing profession. However, this issue is taking another turn as globalization spreads and more males pursue this career avert the ever female domination of this career by females. This is bound to have positive effects by improving the image of the nursing career. Palliative care is not a simple issue when it comes to cancer. Not only is a nurse expected to understand the patient, but the ever present spirituality and language needs cannot be avoided. A nurse takes the wholesome responsibility and not only caring for the patient physically, but also spiritually. A nurse is an important part of the patient and can even be looked at as closer than a family member. Nursing and Post colonialism The nursing profession has a lengthy history dating back to the colonial days. In fact, the period after colonialism underwent a heavy development of an intellectual direction in various aspects of life. As colonial countries gained independence, they emulated the knowledge they gained from their colonial masters. The administration of palliative care to patients with terminal illnesses such as cancer has been a challenge since most cultures approve cultural theories, which they adopt in nursing care. The emphasize has been directed to acknowledge of the cultural theories especially in Western Pluralist communities. In nature these cultural theories have adverse limitations hence undermine the impact of a wider social impact on medical care of the non-Western community residents health. In fact, health complication related to social inequalities need to be tackled. Therefore, a post-colonialism approach is best suited to address this issue since it will lead to the adoption of Western health care practices that will unmask and solve various health complications across different races, ethnic units, gender and social classes (Racine, 2003). Problem Statement Although nursing is a fundamental profession in the society, this field is mainly dominated by female practitioners in the modern world due to the feminist ideology, which is an issue that has featured in this field for long despite campaigns to encourage male students to pursue the career. References Austgard, K. (2008). Language and the experience of patients values in nursing care: a theoretical exploration. Nurse Education Today, 27(2): 139-144 Bert, B. (2011). Spirituality and Palliative Care. Indian Journal of Palliative Care, 17(4):39-41 Broeckaert B. Spirituality and palliative care. Indian J Palliat Care [serial online] 2011 [cited 2012 Jun 6];17:39-41. Available from: http://www.jpalliativecare.com/text.asp?2011/17/4/39/76241 Bryn, M. (2008). Spirituality in palliative care: what language do we need? International Journal of Palliative Medicine, 14(6):274-280 Bryn Williams-Jones. (2009). Commercial Surrogacy and the Redefinition of Motherhood, Journal of Philosophy, Science and Law, 2:34-39 Converse, Mary. (2010). Literature Review of Feminist Nursing Knowledge of Biology, Anatomy, and Physiology. University of Victoria Theses and Dissertations Flannelly, K. (2011). Spirituality and Chaplaincy in Palliative Care. Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy, 18:1-2 http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/tracking/pdfs/How_To_Guide.pdf http://www.google.co.ke/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CFMQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fephtracking.cdc.gov%2FshowCancerEnv.action&ei=VpPPT-OPFofM0QXmwdDJCw&usg=AFQjCNEnCaD74h1BjsZibZMHQ4-G43Zmcw http://rnao.ca/policy/position-statements/environmental-carcinogens Melanie et al. (2009). A Conceptual Analysis of Spirituality at the End of Life. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 12(1) Miriam H Labbok, Paige Hall Smith and Emily C Taylor. (2009). Breastfeeding and feminism: A focus on reproductive health, rights and justice, International Breastfeeding Journal. 2: 56-67 OConnor, Margaret; Davis, Mellar; Abernethy, Amy. (2010). Language, discourse and meaning in palliative medicine. Progress in Palliative Care, 18(2): 66-71 Penner,J. & McClement, S, E. (2008). Using Phenomenology to Examine the Experiences of Family Caregivers of Patients with Advanced Head and Neck Cancer: Reflections of a Novice Researcher. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 7(2). Spichiger, E. (2008). Being in the hospital: An interpretive phenomenological study of terminally ill cancer patients’ experiences. European Journal of Oncology Nursing, 13(1): 16-21 Thomas, R. (2008). Patients perceptions of visiting: a phenomenological study in a specialist palliative care unit. Palliative Medicine, 15(6):499-504 Racine, L. (2003). The post-colonial theoretical approach in cultural nursing research about adapting nursing care to non-Western populations. University of British Columbia, School of Nursing, Vancouver: Dec;(75):7-14. Available from. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14725166 Appendix. Phenomenology: the explanation of the causes of an occurrence of particular health problems Palliative care: the administration of pain relieving medicine Post colonialism: this is a period usually referred to as the era of the colonial theory, this is the period after colonialism Spirituality: religious studies regarding the beliefs and values upheld by the society. Feminism: the bias attributed to a perception of certain duties or practices as more suited for the female gender and not the male gender. Post-structuralism: the structure of language especially metaphors, which were used in early years in the advent of the nursing profession Read More