I believe that in many cases, the early stages of dementia do not necessarily make it impossible for continued life to be worthwhile. However, there is a point of mental decline beyond which I have trouble recommending aggressive treatment of certain medical ailments intended to prolong life...to prolong life that is no longer the type of life that the patient himself would necessarily wish to prolong.
Q: Do you share those sentiments with patients?
A: No; and that is precisely the dilemma I'm thinking about. I realize that it is natural for patients' families to hold out hope of recovery regardless of negative medical prognoses. Likewise, I understand that it is difficult to acknowledge...acknowledge on a psychological level...that their loved ones are, essentially, already gone once they no longer recognize their own family members and cannot perform the simplest tasks for themselves. Not so much that they are physically unable to clean themselves for example, but that they are beyond the point of even caring whether or not they are clean or soiled.
Alzheimer's, is called the "long goodbye" for that reason, because in many ways, losing a loved only very gradually after their minds are gone is much more difficult than even a sudden tragic loss of life.
Q: Do you or your staff ever make medical decisions based on your feelings about that?
A: No, never. I dispense medically accurate information to my patients and their families and I present the clearest clinical picture possible about medical choices, decisions, and the likelihood of positive outcomes and negative consequences. My staff are never in position to make such decisions either. We treat patients as they and their representatives...
While the article Educational Studies in Mathematics highlights the discrepancy between book and experiential learning in mathematics, the article "Interprofessional perspectives on teamwork in health care" highlights the difficulties experienced by nurses working on management teams in hospitals, and allowing their disciplines' framework of knowledge to be accepted as equal to their physician-colleagues. "There is a discrepancy between nursing's and medicine's views and expectations of 'interdisciplinary team'" (Temkin-Greener 2000, p.
Bibliography Mendes, IA, Trevizan, MA, Noqueira, MS, Mayashida, M. (2000) Humanistic Approach to Nursing Communication: The Case of hospitalized Adolescent Female. Rev Bras Enferm (2000) Jan-Mar, 53(1):7-13. Williams, Carol A. & Gossett, Monette T. (2001) Nursing Communication: Advocacy for the Patient or Physician" Clinical Nursing Research Vol. 10 No. 3 332-340 (2001) Online available at http://cnr.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/10/3/332. Colon-Emeric, Cathleen (2006) Patterns of Medical and Nursing Staff Communication in Nursing Homes: Implications and Insights From Complexity
Quality of Care Provided by Nurse Practitioners The use of nurse practitioners in providing primary care services has increased in the recent past as the number of trained NPs also increases. This study focuses on examining the cost-effectiveness and quality of care provided by nurse practitioners given their increased used in the primary care setting. The research was carried out on a group of ten female participants with a background
Developmental perspective was the concept that the nursing students participating in this study were typically younger than they patients they were caring for. This made it difficult for them to ask the "older" patient questions about a lifestyle they had been practicing for many years. Environmental constraints were noted that prevented the participants in the study from fully implementing best practice guidelines. The primary of which was time. They noted that
What is the current level of autonomy among NPs? How independent are nurse practitioners? It is well-known that NPs desire and deserve autonomy -- which gives NPs "substantial control over [their] professional practice" (Bahadori, et al., 2009, p. 513). The research conducted by Bahadori and colleagues shows that of 48 primary care NPs (all of whom attended a state clinical conference in Florida and completed a detailed questionnaire with 30 items
During this era, however, nurses continued to gain a foothold within the field of care as important elements to patient recovery and success. This was further echoed in the era directly following such a tumultuous times as the 1960s. During the 1970s, the idea of a much more solid and accredited education began to pick up further speed (Burns 2004:19). Schools were now responsible to the State and national standards,
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