There is perhaps no more confusing mental process in life than attempting to define attitudes toward death. This process is even more complicated and impacting when it must be formulated by health practitioners who work in a hospice setting. It has been found that there exists a significant percentage (33%) of hospice nurses which found difficulty in knowing who controlled the overall responsibility of hospice patient care. Such confusion has led to an overwhelming desire by both community nurses and general practitioners for additional educational input from domiciliary services (Seamark, Thorne, Jones, Gray, & Searle, 1993, p. 57). There is little doubt that the health care professional finds themselves in a complex organizational system and must find a way to form their own outlook within that system. Nurses want to simultaneously maintain fidelity to patients and their family members, follow physician colleague orders, work in interdisciplinary family-centered teams, and yet follow their consciences when order care or treatments appear harmful to patients (Catlin et al., 2008, p. 106). The complexities of the situation in which hospice professionals find themselves in makes the defining of personal attitudes toward hospice care even more difficult.
There were an estimated 1.5 million patients who received hospice services in 2012 (NHPCO, 2013, p. 4). Therefore, a large patient population is directly effected by the outlooks which hospice clinicians take towards end of life care. Since the main focus of palliative care should be maximizing the quality of care of the hospice patient, health practitioners must adopt an attitude towards patients which maximizes the probability of the highest quality of life.
Table of Contents
1. Attitudes Toward Hospice Care
2. Normative Position
3. Patient Characteristic Considerations
4. Communication Considerations
5. Opposing Viewpoints
6. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
The primary objective of this work is to explore the ethical and normative frameworks that health practitioners should adopt when providing hospice and palliative care to ensure the highest quality of life for patients. The research aims to identify how personal and institutional attitudes, cultural sensitivity, and communication strategies influence end-of-life decision-making and patient satisfaction.
- The application of normative ethics in palliative care settings.
- The impact of cultural and ethnic characteristics on patient barriers to hospice.
- The role of effective, patient-centered communication in managing clinical conflict.
- Navigating professional dilemmas regarding patient wishes and end-of-life treatments.
Excerpt from the Book
Opposing Viewpoints
Sometimes hospice staff will face dilemmas of either adhering to professional care standards or to the wishes of the patients and their families. Hospice care professionals should correctly act according to a set of proper ethical codes, to institutional mission statements, and to professional care standards. However, due to the subjective nature of interpreting such codes, concern and questions of care, as well as conflicts, may arise among the patients themselves, family member, nurses, and doctors (Walker & Breitsameter, 2012, p. 1).
As previously stated, treatment options can be highly influenced by cultural contexts. Iranmanesh, Rayyani, and Forouzy (2012) found that Iranian palliative care nurses showed no tendency to accept the family of patients of the patients themselves as decision makers or to involve them in treatment (p. 9). While I am strongly objected to a viewpoint of healthcare which does not consider the input of the patients themselves, I realize that such a viewpoint may hold as logical in certain cultural contexts. However, regardless of cultural values, the main reason I disagree with such a view point is because it has been scientifically proven that patient satisfaction within a palliative setting is purely subjective (Tierney, Horton, Hannan, & Tierney, 1998, p. 333).
Summary of Chapters
Attitudes Toward Hospice Care: This chapter introduces the complexities health practitioners face in defining attitudes toward death within the organizational systems of hospice care.
Normative Position: This section advocates for an ethically normative and culturally empathetic approach to patient care, incorporating the wishes of both the patient and their family.
Patient Characteristic Considerations: The text discusses how factors such as ethnicity, cultural background, and individual medical conditions act as barriers to effective hospice treatment.
Communication Considerations: This chapter highlights the necessity of healthy, patient-centered communication to improve pain response, reduce suffering, and foster trust.
Opposing Viewpoints: This section addresses the ethical dilemmas between professional standards and patient autonomy, illustrated by the necessity of respecting advance directives.
Conclusion: The final chapter reinforces that a normative and culturally-sensitive attitude, coupled with open communication, is essential for maximizing patient quality of life.
Keywords
Hospice care, palliative care, normative ethics, end-of-life, patient satisfaction, cultural sensitivity, communication, patient-centered care, advance directives, health practitioners, ethical dilemmas, quality of life, nursing, patient outcomes, medical ethics.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
The work focuses on the importance of adopting a normative and culturally sensitive perspective in hospice and palliative care to improve patient outcomes and quality of life.
What are the central themes discussed?
The central themes include ethical frameworks, patient characteristics (such as ethnicity and gender), communication strategies in clinical environments, and the resolution of professional dilemmas.
What is the main goal of the research?
The main goal is to argue that by prioritizing the patient's perspective and needs, health professionals can provide better, more empathetic end-of-life care.
What scientific methods are utilized?
The document relies on a review of existing literature, medical studies, and case analysis to substantiate the argument for patient-centered, normative ethical standards.
What is addressed in the main body of the text?
The main body examines the intersection of ethics, patient-provider communication, and cultural influences, providing evidence-based arguments for how clinicians should manage difficult care decisions.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include hospice care, normative ethics, palliative care, cultural sensitivity, patient-centered care, and end-of-life decision-making.
How does cultural background impact hospice care?
Cultural and ethnic backgrounds significantly influence how patients perceive death, their trust in medical systems, and their willingness to accept hospice services, requiring clinicians to adopt a culturally sensitive approach.
Why is open communication critical in palliative settings?
Open and ethical communication is proven to reduce patient frustration, improve pain management, and decrease the utilization of unnecessary resources by fostering a trusting, patient-centered relationship.
What does the author conclude about the case of Dr. Daniel Matlock?
The author supports Dr. Matlock’s decision to follow the patient’s advance directive and remove life support, arguing that it respected the patient’s autonomy and provided a gentler death.
- Citation du texte
- Carol Nganga (Auteur), 2013, Attitudes Toward Hospice Care, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/280536
