Description
The Nurse’s text is “…the go-to guide…”
Kelli Stadjuhar, RN, PhD,
School of Nursing and Centre on Aging,
University of Victoria
We are in a new era of dying
Gone are the days when the majority of people died of infections (early 1900’s), or died relatively quickly from the effects of heart attacks, strokes or cancers (through 1900’s). Today, people live longer than ever before, and they usually have multiple, chronic, life-limiting illnesses in their last decades of life.
How do these changes affect health care? There are more people needing care, their care needs are increasingly more complex, and the care is required over a longer time frame. Care of the dying cannot be left to the palliative care specialists – there are not enough of them to meet the care needs. Everyone on the care team is needed to provide care for people aging and dying. Nurses, however, are instrumental members of the care team, providing care and leadership in this new era of providing care for people dying over multiple years with increasingly complex care needs.
How can nurses prepare for caregiving in the new era of dying?
Prepare nurses by equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for integrating a palliative approach and providing palliative care. When people have knowledge and skills, they can confidently and competently provide for the care needs of people in this new era of dying.
This text can help every nurse to confidently and competently provide palliative care and a palliative approach.
With this text, Essentials in Hospice and Palliative Care: A Practical Resource for Every Nurse and companion resources, nurses build the knowledge, skills and best practices needed for providing palliative care and a palliative approach.
By learning palliative care with these resources, nurses will:
- Understand the dying process and common issues that arise for the person and family
- Integrate the principles of palliative care into their practice in all care settings
- Develop best practice interactions for communicating and being with
- Develop assessment, communication, and care planning skills
- Learn about physician assisted dying
- Become more comfortable and confident in having difficult conversations
- Develop confidence and skills for collaborating and communicating with the health care team.
Written with warmth, humour by palliative care nurses, this text:
- Addresses ethical principles and questions through ethical touchstones.
- Incorporates stories to help nurses develop cultural competence and cultural humility.
- Encourages nurses to consider their role as a leader and advocate through day-to-day work.
- Can help to increase a nurse’s confidence, competence, and compassion in caring for the dying person and their family.
Check out a preview of the textbook HERE
Julia Johnston, RN-EC, BScN, MN, NP-Adult, CHPCN(C) Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, U of T –
“Full of theoretical and practical information, “Essentials” provides us with the knowledge, know-how and courage to deepen our nursing practice and engage in the palliative approach while maintaining our authentic selves in the process.”
Kelli I. Stajduhar, RN, PhD, Prof-Sch of Nursing, Cnt on Aging, Assoc Dir; End of Life Prog, FHA –
This will soon become the “go to guide” for those seeking direction in how to embed palliative approaches into their practice.
Betty Ferrell-PhD, RN, FAAN Director, Prof-Nursing Research Education, City of Hope Medical Center –
This Essentials text is a valuable resource for all team members committed to quality patient care.
The content is practical and addresses the real, clinical issues in daily practice.
It is an invaluable resource for those new in practice as well as those who are experienced clinicians.
Pam Malloy, RN, MN, FPCN, FAAN Director, ELNEC Project; Spec Adv on Global Initiatives-AACN –
This is a wonderful textbook for nursing students and for nurses entering practice. It is practical and uses helpful case studies, artwork, tables, scales and other supplemental resources that emphasize important concepts. While being extremely helpful academically, it also promotes primary palliative care concepts of listening, being present, bearing witness, and advocating for those with serious illness and their families—all reminders of the vital, sacred work that nurses are privileged to do every day.
Philip Larkin, Professor of Clinical Nursing ( Palliative Care) –
University College Dublin and Our Lady’s Hospice and Care Services, Dublin, Ireland. President, European Association for Palliative Care.
Having spent nearly 30 years in hospice and palliative care at this point in my life as nurse, clinician, teacher and academic, I am always humbled when I find something new that tells me I don’t know as much as I would like to think I do! This book ‘Essentials in hospice and palliative care: a practical resource for every nurse’ by Kath Murray does just that.
Across the world nurses are the one constant in the lives of patients and families with palliative and end-of-life care needs. All nurses need to understand the importance of that role and through the learning from this text, they will be able to put language to what they have inherently known through their training and practice experience; nursing care makes the difference to the palliative care journey. The book speaks to all who ‘nurse’ – those with professional credentials and those who work in supportive care roles. I urge you to read the ‘touchstones’. They make us realize that so much of our work is about reflection on why we do the right action, in the right way at the right time.
For the new practitioner, this book provides your foundation. For the experienced practitioner, the reminder of why we do what we do.
Keep this book at hand when you need to do the deep work of care-giving. It will sustain and guide your practice and bring your palliative care nursing to a place of fulfillment.
Thank you Kath!