Gabriel completed placement and an extensive referenced critical reflection as her report.
During Gabriel’s clinical placement, she had the opportunity to accompany a palliative nurse practitioner (NP) to various residential aged care facilities (RACF) in Canberra. Following a referral for individual residents, the role of the NP was to assess the ongoing clinical needs of people for appropriate palliative measures. Throughout this process, the NP would engage with stakeholders to plan, implement and review tailored measures to achieve optimal outcomes for individuals, often on an end of life (EoL) trajectory.
Gabriel repost and Analysis of her placement was impressive and we are grateful for her effort in her reflection. The following information was cut and past from her Conclusion and Action Plan at the end of her report.
CONCLUSION:
The importance of getting EoL communication right cannot be overstated. Conversations around death and dying are not unilateral. They are collective, and often emotional experiences for those involved. EoL communication strategies such as those outlined improve both patient and family outcomes by enabling all parties to engage with transitions of care. Nurses are thus well placed to guide expectations and outcomes, invoking compassion and patient-centeredness in pursuit of QoL. To this end, nurses should engender collaborative partnerships with patients and their families, enacting targeted, individualised interventions and ensuring that all people are supported and not alone during the EoL journey.
ACTION PLAN:
On reflection, witnessing the NP attend to the patient and her daughter was educational. By altering my own approach to EoL communication, I believe I can improve my nursing practice and provide more adept guidance for both patients and relatives experiencing an EoL journey. I can achieve this by placing greater emphasis on exploring both patient and family understanding of the broader clinical situation. This can assist me to more actively engage with stakeholders, tailoring information and assessment cues appropriately to help patients determine goals of care.