Nursing in Palliative Care

Palliative care service was started in England in 1967 by nurse Cicely Saunders, after which the number of nurses providing care was increased. Although palliative care services were first given to cancer patients, palliative care understanding changed over time and included individuals with chronic diseases.
 
Relaxing care is given to patients who do not respond to traditional medical treatment and aggressive treatments. Progressive diseases such as motor neuron diseases and progressive neurological diseases (Alzheimer, ALS), advanced organ failure (heart, lung, kidney, liver, brain), non-responsive cancers, HIV / AIDS are diseases that require palliative care. Considering the data of the World Health Organization today, it is seen that only 14% of the patients who need palliative care can receive service. As such, it has become a necessity to increase palliative care services and to provide quality care.
 
Every patient has the right to spend the last days of their life in peace. Therefore, palliative care is considered among human rights values. In palliative care, death is neither delayed nor accelerated, the aim is to facilitate the transition from life to death by improving the quality of life. Also, palliative care is a low cost approach. It is very inexpensive and prevents patients from frequent hospital and emergency services and long-term hospitalization.
 
Although palliative care is not only for the patients, it focuses on relaxing practices for the patient and the family with the approach of death. Helping the family to accept it, informing the family and combating grief are among the important practices of palliative care. In addition to clinical evaluation, it also includes family support services such as religious assistance, economic support, and psychosocial assistance. Nurses which is interact the most with the patient and their family, are of key importance in this process. Nurses should plan the care according to the patient's culture, belief, race, language, religion, expectations, age and education level while applying a patient and family-centered care. The required environmental plan should be done for the peaceful death of the patient and the privacy of the patient and his family should be protected. Also, nurses should guide patients and their relatives in accessing appropriate care services and resources.
 
Nurses in the palliative care should provide comprehensive and tolerant care. During palliative follow-up, nurses should provide the best care they can and help the patient to complete their last moments peacefully and painlessly. Therefore, nurses should increase their knowledges and experiences as well as should be able to follow the research results and reflect the improvements to the care that they give.