Introduction to palliative nursing care
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780199332342.003.0001
Providing palliative care depends on the nurse having strong interpersonal skills and clinical knowledge and is informed by respect for the person and the ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. The genuine, warm, and compassionate relationship of a nurse with his or her patient is frequently a healing relationship even in the face of death. It is a combination of state-of-the art clinical competence with fidelity to the patient, the ability to listen and remain present in the face of much suffering and distress, and effective communication. It is the nurse who provides much of the care and support to patients and families throughout a disease trajectory and the one who is more likely to be present at the time of death than any other health professional.
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