Week 1

Question 1

what is palliative care

Answer 1

• a philosophy and approach to care that focuses on helping people live well

Question 2

what is a chronic illness

Answer 2

• illness that lasts a year or longer

- requires ongoing med care

Question 3

what is a life-limiting illness

Answer 3

• chronic disease or condition that doesn’t respond to curative treatments, leading to a terminal diagnosis

Question 4

what is a life threatening illness

Answer 4

any chronic illness,
medical condition or allergy, such as diabetes, severe allergies, epilepsy, and asthma, that in
certain conditions, when left untreated or improperly treated, could lead to death

Question 5

what is a terminal illness

Answer 5

• a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and is reasonably expected to result in the death of the patient

Question 6

what is a end-stage disease

Answer 6

The last phase in the course of a progressive disease

Question 7

what is an advanced illness

Answer 7

• when one or more conditions become serious enough that general health and functioning decline, and treatments begin to lose their impact
• a process that continues to the end of life.

Question 8

on medical and surgical wards, pts have expressed umet nursing care needs r/t (6)

Answer 8

• communication
• self-management, autonomy, education
• fundamental physical care
• emotional and psychological care
• personal sphere
• privacy and dignity

Question 9

what are the 4 interrelated aspects of an individual

Answer 9

• physical
• emotional
• social
• spiritual

Question 10

what is the physcial aspect of an individual? what are examples?

Answer 10

• includes physical health & fnxn

ex. ability to do ADLs, nutrition, hygeine

Question 11

describe the emotional aspect of an individual. what does it include?

Answer 11

• our ability to understand, express, and manage emotions

- includes coping mechanisms, how we respond to other’s emotions

Question 12

describe the social aspect of an individual (4)

Answer 12

• relating, interacting and communicating well with others
• our bonds and connections with other people
• what roles we have ex. sister
• includes where born, how live, work, play, learn

Question 13

describe the spiritual aspect of an individual (4)

Answer 13

• connecting with what’s meaningful to you in a way that lightens or enriches your spirit
• does not necessarily mean religion!
• includes things that give us purpose, meaning, and hope
• sense of “who am i” and “where am i going”

Question 14

why is it important to address the whole person during care?

Answer 14

• to maintain our pts dignity

- and dignity is associated w quality of life

Question 15

what is dignity (3)

Answer 15

• feeling valued and important
• sense of self worth
• state of physical, emotional, social, and spiritual comfort

Question 16

what are some characteristics of dignity (2)

Answer 16

• inherent to all of us

- highly individualized

Question 17

what 3 things can impact our dignity

Answer 17

• illness-related concerns
• nature & quality of interaction w others
• personal perspectives and practices to preserve dignity

Question 18

in what way can nature and quality of interactions with others impact dignity (3)

Answer 18

• our social support
• privacy boundaries
• care tenor (the attitude and behaviors of HCP)

Question 19

in what ways can illness-related concerns impact dignity (2)

Answer 19

• symptoms can lead to physical and psychological distress & uncertainty
• can impact our lvl of independence and ADLs

Question 20

how can personal perspectives impact our dignity and what practices can conserve dignity (5)

Answer 20

• able to live in the moment
• sense of normalcy
• spiritual comfort
• ability to maintain hope
• ability to preserve roles

Question 21

what are 3 ways to get to know the whole person

Answer 21

• formal assessment tools ex. OPQRSTU
• observation
• conversation

Question 22

how can observation help get to know the whole

Answer 22

• observe the pt, interactions, and enviro

ex. consider pics in room, what they watch on tv etc.

Question 23

how can conversations help get to know the whole person (5)

Answer 23

• includes convo w the pt, family, and healthcare team
• ask open ended questions ex. what does a good day look like to you
• talk about things other than illnesses
• biographical approaches
• storytelling and story sharing

Question 24

what are examples of unhelpful assessment techniques (7)

Answer 24

• focusing on only one domain ex. physical
• using inappropriate or technical language (ex. medical terms, labelling them as the cancer pt)
• changing the subject
• interupting
• assumptions abt the pt
• jumping to conclusions
• asking leading questions that suggest right answers

Question 25

how can we assess the physical domain (4)

Answer 25

- understand their diagnosis and treatment - H2T assessment - symptom assessment - OPQRSTU

Question 26

how can we assess the emotional domain (8)

Answer 26

observe/assess for - anxiety/fear - sadness - anger/irritability - positive motivation (do they have hope?) - burden (feelings of guilt to HCP, family) - disengagement/withdrawl - coping strategies - facial expressions

Question 27

how can we assess the social domain (7)

Answer 27

observe/assess/consider - relationships - ability to engage in leisure activities - ability to perform household chores (need help or independent?) - ability to perform ADLs - living accommodations (alone? w someone? any concerns?) - ability to work (retired? working? where?) - caregiviing role (are they supporting others?)

Question 28

how can we assess the spiritual domain (5)

Answer 28

assess/observe - sources of help or support(what gives them strength) - beliefs - spirituality - source of hope - meaning in life (what keeps them going, whats most meaningful to you)

Question 29

what is a simple question to ask that provides the pt with dignity

Answer 29

- what do i do need to know about you as a person to provide you with the best care that I can

Question 30

what is the benefit to promoting expressions of personhood? what happens when we ignore it?

Answer 30

- ignore = compromised dignity | - promote = dignity upheld

Question 31

describe the illness trajectory of cancer

Answer 31

- function is typically high for a period of time, but then has a sharp decline

Question 32

describe the illness trajectory of organ failure

Answer 32

- function is good, then experience an exacerbation - once recover from an exacerbation, their functioning doesn't get quit to where it was before this continues , with function declinign with each exacerbation

Question 33

describe the illness trajectory of physical and cognitive fraility

Answer 33

- low lvls of function carries on til death

Question 34

what factors influence illness experience (13)

Answer 34

- disease focused v whole person approach to care - available health services - education and literacy - physical enviro - social supports - personal health practices - coping skills - social enviro - culture - employment/working conditions - financial status - social status - age

Question 35

what is a progressive illness

Answer 35

- a disease or health condition that gets worse over time, resulting in a general decline in health or function

Question 36

what are some examples of organ failure (3)

Answer 36

- COPD - CHF - CKD