Communication with Patients at The End of Life (Essay Sample)

Communication with patients at the end of life
Communication with patients at the end of life
The death of a close relative or a person one has known for a while is usually devastating. My experience with death was overwhelming, filled with emptiness, compassion, helplessness, and sadness. I have lost my aunt, who was a close relative. In my professional life, I lost a patient who was a 64-year-old woman suffering from chronic disease. The patient could not express her wishes before death because close family members were not present at the moment of her death. The end of my patient triggered strong emotions. My colleague, whom we collaborated with in giving care to the patient, helped improve communication with the bereaved family.
The nurses, social workers, and chaplains play different roles in terms of communication at the end of life. There is a clear division of roles of nurses, social workers, and chaplains. The social workers ensure the treatment plan is understood, coordinate the care of patients, provide counseling and therapy, and advocate for patients' wishes. Hospital chaplains assist with spiritual distress, relationship building, emotional support, conducting funeral services, and instilling hope in the patients and their families (Klitzman et al., 2022). Nurses have a unique view or knowledge of the personalized disease trajectory, making their role more helpful during end-of-life conversations. Consequently, the role of a chaplain becomes more crucial when the patient needs to discuss spiritual matters and conduct funeral services. Overall, nurses, social workers, and chaplains play different roles in fostering communication at the end of life.