Care Plan, Case Study Example

Introduction

Spiritual care is a complex phenomenon that must be included as part of a larger comprehensive care plan for patients. In particular, nurses must incorporate spiritual care into their daily practice routines so that patients experience a greater sense of comfort and belonging, in spite of their conditions. These elements are critical to the success of a given strategy to promote spiritual care for patients across a variety of settings. Under these conditions, specific patients are likely to benefit from a spiritual care approach, and in particular, patients facing a diagnosis of terminal cancer (Tuck et.al, 2012). These factors are critical in supporting the development of specific care plans for patients who face this condition.

Care Plan

A spiritual care plan involves an open two-way communication between the nurse and patient regarding the patient’s experiences with terminal cancer, along with an analysis of the narrative using the PATS protocol (Presence, Active Listening, Touch, and Sacred Story (Tuck et.al, 2012).The translation of the individual patient experience into a sacred story represents an opportunity to recognize the benefits of spiritual care in the patient environment (Tuck et.al, 2012). This experience conveys the importance of sharing one’s personal experiences with cancer as a framework for a discussion regarding spirituality, which will serve as a key contributor to the palliative care process (Tuck et.al, 2012).

The elements of the PATS protocol should be addressed individually as part of the care plan so that patients are provided with a welcoming and encouraging experience (Tuck et.al, 2012). For example, being present with the patient requires the nurse to focus his or her attention solely on the patient at all times during the discussion (Tuck et.al, 2012). With active listening, the nurse must transcend his or her own personal lives and embrace the lives of these patients through focused and concentrated listening regarding the experiences of terminal cancer (Tuck et.al, 2012). This includes an understanding of nonverbal cues and body language in order to convey the importance of the patient’s experience as conveyed by the nurse (Tuck et.al, 2012). This is an important requirement for the patient to feel a greater sense of comfort, in spite of the cancer diagnosis (Tuck et.al, 2012). The concept of touch should be conveyed as an opportunity to provide physical and non-physical cues in order to provide patients with a means of comfort that has significant meaning to the patient within the palliative care setting (Tuck et.al, 2012). Finally, the sacred story enables the patient to feel a greater sense of comfort regarding his or her current health status by using a storytelling approach that will provide support in the time of need (Tuck et.al, 2012). Each of these factors is relevant in supporting a comprehensive strategy that will enhance the quality of care that is provided for patients with terminal cancer diagnoses (Tuck et.al, 2012).

Conclusion

A successful spiritual plan of care offers an opportunity for nurses to be effective communicators and to provide their patients with much needed support and guidance under difficult circumstances. These efforts are essential to the discovery of new and strategies that will encompass new directions and approaches in providing optimal quality of care for cancer patients in the palliative care setting. These elements are essential in palliative care because this stage is particularly challenging and emotionally stressful. However, spiritual care will provide a level of guidance and understanding that will engage patients and enable them to experience a greater sense of comfort, in spite of their current condition. Spiritual care is instrumental in supporting positive outcomes and in order to ensure that terminal cancer patients receive effective care and treatment at all times.

References

Tuck, I., Johnson, S.C., Kuznetsova, M.I., McCrocklin, C., Baxter, M., and Bennington, L.K. (2012). Sacred healing stories told at the end of life. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 30(2), 69-80.