The end-of-life journey can be challenging and emotional for patients and their loved ones. A dedicated team of professionals provides comfort, support, and holistic care in hospice care. Each team member has a unique role, ensuring the patient's physical, emotional, and spiritual needs are met. Let's explore the roles of different hospice team members and how they contribute to your care journey.
Hospice care is focused on symptom management, pain relief, emotional support, and spiritual care. It is a privilege to be a part of a patient’s end-of-life journey, and as a new hospice nurse, you may feel overwhelmed, but you can make a difference in a patient’s life. One of the essential skills you need to learn as a hospice nurse is to recognize when to increase the scheduled visit frequency for a terminally ill patient under hospice care.
Our primary focus for our patients is comfort at the end of life as hospice nurses. We work tirelessly to ensure that our patients receive the best possible care during their end-of-life journey. An aspect of that care that is often overlooked, but incredibly important is timely documentation.
Documenting hospice visits at the bedside is crucial for several reasons. Not only does it help ensure that our patients are receiving the best possible care, but it also helps the hospice team as a whole and reduces issues when the caregiver must be involved in triage services. Here are just a few reasons why documenting hospice visits at the bedside is so important: