“Conversations about end-of-life care can be challenging, even for experienced nurses. The Conversation Project has improved staff skills in an acute setting.”
Click on the above graphic to download Your Conversation Starter Kit.
This article is written by Rachel Davis. She is clinical nurse specialist palliative care, Royal United Hospitals Bath Foundation Trust. So while the article relates to treatment and care in the United Kingdom, it is pertinent and filled with valuable guidance.
“Cardiopulmonary resuscitation can save a life, but is invasive and traumatic. Leaving people in the ‘default’ position of receiving CPR if they go into cardiorespiratory arrest can result in treatment that is unwanted or offers no benefit. Updated guidance by the British Medical Association, the Resuscitation Council (UK) and the Royal College of Nursing states that good clinical practice includes making advanced individualised CPR decisions for people who are near the end of life or at risk of cardiorespiratory arrest. Staff should involve patients and/or their loved ones in the decision-making process to reduce the risk of administering unwanted treatment.”
SOURCE:“Starting end-of-life conversations in hospital” - nursingtimes.net
