Category: Nurse Skills
Articles involving nursing skills and techniques.
Compassionate Care: Managing Nausea, Vomiting, and Dry Heaving in End-of-Life Patients
Nausea and vomiting are common and distressing symptoms in terminally ill patients. This comprehensive guide offers practical advice for caregivers and healthcare professionals on managing these symptoms, including pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches, diet and lifestyle changes, and when to seek additional help.
Decoding Acuity: A Guide for Hospice Nurses and Families
Discover how acuity impacts hospice care. From assessment tools to real-world examples, this guide helps nurses and families navigate acuity levels.
Understanding and Addressing Delirium in Terminal Care
This comprehensive guide provides essential insights into recognizing and addressing delirium in terminally ill individuals. It’s an invaluable resource for nurses, caregivers, and families, offering practical advice and empathetic support.
Balancing Patient Care and Compliance: The Impact of Extended Hospice Care for Dementia Patients
Explore how extended hospice care for dementia patients benefits families and saves Medicare money despite regulatory challenges around six-month prognosis rules.
Bullosis Diabeticorum: What You Need to Know
Discover Bullosis Diabeticorum, a rare skin condition in people with diabetes causing painless blisters. Learn how to identify, treat, and care for loved ones with BD and a terminal illness.
Understanding the Importance of Your Loved One’s Breathing Patterns in End-of-Life Care
Understanding breathing patterns in end-of-life care is crucial for providing comfort to your loved one. Learn about regular vs. irregular breathing rhythms and when to contact hospice for additional support.
Understanding Emergency Admissions in Hospice
Emergency admissions in hospice provide rapid care for patients nearing the end of life. This process involves quick referrals, expedited assessments, and immediate provision of necessary equipment and medications. Hospice teams work efficiently to ensure patients receive comfort and support during this critical time.
Best Practices for IDG Meetings in Hospice Care
Hospice care is about providing compassionate support and comfort to patients during their end-of-life journey. Interdisciplinary Group (IDG) meetings ensure the highest quality care for hospice patients and their families. These meetings bring together a diverse team of professionals to discuss patient care plans, address concerns, and collaborate on providing holistic support. However, these meetings can sometimes become overwhelming and time-consuming. Let's explore some best practices to make the most of IDG meetings while keeping patient-centered care at the forefront.
Unveiling the Complexities of SSRIs: Half-Life, Risks, and Misconceptions
Dive into the world of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and their role in treating depression. Discover the importance of medication half-life, the risks of serotonin syndrome, and why the chemical imbalance theory of depression is being challenged. Learn about the concerns of overprescription in older adults.
Hospice Best Practices for the Management Lymphedema
Lymphedema is a chronic condition that affects millions of people worldwide, especially those who have undergone cancer treatment or have other lymphatic disorders. It occurs when the lymphatic system, which drains excess fluid and waste from the tissues, is damaged or blocked. The most common symptom of lymphedema is swelling of the affected limb, which can range from mild to severe. Lymphedema can have a significant impact on the quality of life of patients with serious illnesses, such as cancer, heart failure, or chronic kidney disease. In this article, we will discuss hospice best practices for the management of lymphedema, with a focus on the needs and preferences of terminally ill patients, family members, and caregivers.
Understanding KPS and PPS: Vital Assessment Tools in Palliative and Hospice Care
Explore the crucial roles of Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) and Palliative Performance Score (PPS) in palliative and hospice care. This comprehensive guide helps nurses and caregivers understand these assessment tools, their applications, and critical differences, empowering them to provide more effective, patient-centered care.
Compliance-based, Eligibility Driven Hospice Documentation: Tips for Hospice Nurses
Compliance-based, Eligibility Driven Hospice Documentation: Tips for Hospice Nurses" offers comprehensive guidance for hospice professionals. This valuable resource provides practical examples for various aspects of hospice care documentation, including admissions, recertifications, IDG/IDT notes, continuous care, and GIP records. Enhance your documentation skills while ensuring regulatory compliance.
Understanding Hospice Care: Insights from Nurse Peter Abraham
In this episode of Hospice Explained, host Marie Betcher, RN, interviews Nurse Peter Abraham. Peter shares his extensive experience in cardiac telemetry, skilled nursing, and rural home hospice care. They discuss the significance of early hospice enrollment, the challenges of caring for dementia and Parkinson's patients, and the impactful personal stories from Peter's career. Special focus is given to the educational resources on Peter's website, Compassion Crossing, which aims to support families, caregivers, and new hospice nurses. Peter emphasizes the importance of compassion and understanding in hospice care and reflects on how his faith informs his practice.
Uncommon Opioid Side Effects to Know: How They Affect You and Your Family
Learn about uncommon opioid side effects like myoclonus and hyperalgesia, and how they impact you and your family. This guide explains these conditions, offers tips for managing them, and highlights the role of hospice in providing comfort and support.
When Death is Imminent – What to Expect from Hospice
Hospice nurses are crucial in comforting and supporting patients nearing death and their families. This article explores what to expect from hospice care, focusing on patient assessments, educational discussions, and addressing common family concerns.
Oral Ketamine in Palliative Care: A Promising Approach for Emotional and Psychological Distress
Discover how oral ketamine is emerging as a game-changer in palliative care, offering rapid relief for severe depression, anxiety, and emotional distress. This comprehensive guide explores its potential benefits, administration methods, and important considerations for patients and healthcare providers.
Comprehensive Approaches to Managing Hallucinations in Dementia Patients
Explore comprehensive approaches to managing hallucinations in loved ones with dementia. This article covers pharmacological methods, focusing on Seroquel and non-drug strategies such as Naomi Feil's validation therapy. Learn how to validate feelings, de-escalate fear, and improve the quality of life for those experiencing cognitive impairment.
End of Life Wound Care
End-of-life wound care is crucial for patient comfort and dignity. This guide covers practical tips for preventing infection, managing symptoms, and supporting caregivers during this sensitive time. Learn how to make wound care a compassionate part of hospice and palliative care.
How to Identify End-Stage Parkinson’s for Hospice Admission
Identifying end-stage Parkinson's for hospice admission can be challenging. This article explores key criteria, including decline in function, weight loss, swallowing difficulties, and mobility issues. Learn how hospice professionals assess patients and utilize guidelines to ensure appropriate and timely hospice care for those with advanced Parkinson's disease.
Crisis Management at End-of-Life
Discover effective strategies for managing end-of-life crises in hospice care. Learn how to recognize signs of distress, implement calming techniques, and provide compassionate support to patients and families. This guide offers practical tips for hospice nurses and caregivers to navigate challenging situations with confidence and empathy.
Understanding Palliative Sedation: A Comprehensive Guide for Hospice Care
This guide covers the essentials of palliative sedation for hospice patients, including ethical dilemmas, timing, recommended medications, and monitoring effectiveness, ensuring comfort during the end-of-life journey.
Bowel Management for the Terminally Ill: A Guide for Caregivers and Hospice Nurses
Managing bowel problems in terminally ill patients is crucial for their comfort and dignity. This guide offers practical tips for caregivers and hospice nurses to address constipation, diarrhea, bowel obstruction, and ascites, ensuring patients' better quality of life.
Compelling Hospice Nursing Narratives: Ensuring Continued Eligibility and Comprehensive Care
This guide covers how to write effective hospice nursing narratives, key documentation areas, and the importance of detailed and negative-based wording to support continued hospice eligibility.
Hospice Nursing ADPIE
As a hospice nurse, you are vital in providing compassionate care to terminally ill patients and their families. To ensure the best possible outcomes, you rely on a systematic approach known as ADPIE: Assessment, Diagnosis, Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation. This process guides you in delivering holistic and individualized care, addressing not only the physical needs of patients but also their emotional, spiritual, and psychosocial well-being.