Nurses in supporting the psychology of patient
Abstract
The psychological position of patient is an important aspect during the treatment plan. The treatment plan could be short term and even long term some cases very long term that could be counted in years. Nurses are the major part in balancing the psychological aspects of the patient. There is always a limitation to the care expected and the care provided. Nurses have their main role in keeping the persons spiritual, hopes, optimism, and sexuality during the assessment of their psychology. The qualities of the care that nurses can provide are based on these major factors. The care will in future result into the cured patient with high spirits and could lead a quality file post treatment.
Introduction
“Ciccarelli & Mayer (2006, p.4) explain that psychology is the study of behavior with scientific outlook considering the mental condition of the patient under the treatment covering the over reactions, actions, under reaction shocks, expressions, eye contact, movements and other signs and signals from any and every patient. The internal covert activity of the mind is exposed by the mental process and the reactions, feelings and thinking process”
The psychological support is not important for the patient with treatment plans but this is also very much important for the staff dealing with those patients. Sussman and Baldwin (2010, Vol: 40 pp: 18 24) The psychological and emotional requirements in the case on cancer patients are never ending and are most often unmet during the treatment procedure. Nursing staff are capable of providing the psychological and emotional support to the patients in both written and verbal methods. The practice of written information support is generally introduced for the newly diagnosed patients; it is considered that written motivation support will be helpful as primary diagnosis already leaves many questions and instances about the disease. The newly identified patients lack the capability of retaining the information because they are over loaded with the information. Moody (2003 Vol: 12(21) pp: 1281 1287) States that the written information is more suitable for the cancer patient to re read several times than by giving any verbal information which could be a misinformation also in some cases.
In cases of Oncology patients nurses play a pivot role in handling their psychology and provide proper care for them in the patient’s best conditions and also in the worst conditions. The journey of an oncology patients starts with normal test visits during the diagnosis nurses and the medical practitioners provide the psychological strength to face the initial diagnostics, nest stage Is the acceptance stage where the patient needs a mental preparation about the disease he/she is going to carry with them through the time they are alive. The future stages for the oncology patients get more worst in general cases there are few cases those turn out to be positive and curing in both best and worst case scenario the medical practitioner and his associated nursing staff play vital role is keeping the patients’ psychology level in balance. Muriel et al (2009 vol: 60(8) pp:1132 1134) places a questions while explaining the above scenario that “How effective is the addressing about the psychological consideration and the care given to the general patients”?
What is meant by psychosocial care?
Hodgkinson (2008, Ch 1, p1 12) is stating that involvement of social, cultural and spiritual support is known as psychology. Nurses here are key aspects in the support of the patients; Ellis, et al. (2006, Chapter 23, p457 474) discusses that nurses are the major part in the treatment life for a patient they build dialogues with patients to understand the goods and the bad about the patients. Nurses help the patients in decision making about the relation maintenance during the treatment duration. The main aspects are building good assessment levels and communication skills with patient for development the rapport between medical staff and the patient under treatment which helps is a good clinical relationship with patient and his family for a better treatment. In few oncology patients the level of disease reached the level of chronic where the patient including his family members are hospitalized for the entire journey of the tragic treatment. Such chronic cases allow the communication and the trust relation between the nurse and the patient stronger with whole family being in communication and part of the assessment. The patient and nurse trusted communication and the relationship with the family are different levels when it comes to hospital based nurses and home based nurses. Watt(2007, Vol. 60(6) pp. 663 672), Botti, and Hunter (2010, vol. 33(2) pp.1 8) explain that nurses take different treatment measures differing from patient to patient as every patient has his own set of treatment plans with respect to physical, mental, based on the symptomatic and so on. Ellise et al. (2006, Chapter 23, p457 474), Carlson and Bultz (2003, vol. 1(8) pp.1 9) suggest that good psychological support has been proving beneficial for the patient in facing and reducing the physical distress and psychological imbalances, this helps in better treatment planning and increase the quality of life. This also helps in better healing positive attitude among the patients I return give less recourses used of hospitals.
Roland M, et al (2007, vol. 117(6065), p. 6-8) and Dept of Health (2000) The long term considerations (LTCs) management have changed the heath care industry over decade with managing of general practitioners (GPs) and the in hospital practice nurses (PNs) to support the expertise medical staff and the central feature in major countries like USA, UK, EU and Australia
Książek J,et al(2004, vol.34, pp.1-10) and Bielawska M. D. (2000, Vol. 12-14, pp.36-7) evaluate that
Considering the entire nursing care should also consider. Nurses should be properly trained considering the conditions of the patients and the measures other than behavioral patters of nurses their major roles is the assist the medical staff along with the patients. Nurses should posses the ability to take timely and safe decisions, monitor the patient records in general and clinical understandings with a detail record maintenance, balancing and supporting the psychological condition of the patient and their family member to avoid confusions and wrong intention. They are expected to cover the fundamental functionalities like provided the clear details about the case to the patient and their family members and also make them understand the treatment procedure considering the condition and category of the patient. It is nurses who take care about the medical records of the patient which is expected to be upto date with adequate information about the institution and the concerned medical staff attending the patient. The needs and conditions are also expected to be charted properly for current and future references.
The theories on shared decision making and chronic disease managements are suggested that patient self efficiency and activation are crucial and critical and also effective in patient participation care which is well explained by Bodenheimer, Lorig, Holman, & Grumbach (2002, Vol. 288, pp. 2469-2475) and Lorig, Sobel, Ritter, Laurent, & Hobbs (2001, vol. 4(6), pp. 256-262). In Bandura’s (1977, Vol. 84, pp. 191-215) explanation the self efficiency based social cognitive theory and practical performs few tasks for implementing the self care behavior and analysis. Gill, Robison, & Tinetti, (1997, vol. 12, pp. 757-762).); Hardy & Gill, (2005, vol. 165, pp. 106-112); Mendes de Leon, Seeman, Baker, Richardson, & Tinetti, (1996, vol. 51, S1,pp. 83-S190) all together stand on single point explanation that self efficient and self care contribution will allow the patient have a better quality of life and better motivational levels, reduced depressions, high rate of positive reaction towards treatment, very strong rate of full healing is also possible especially in cases on oncology where it is pre decided that end is very tragic but the self motivation and high spirits with less depression always result towards positive health. In every stage the nurses play the key role for self help and self care with lots of motivations.
Burr V (2003, 2nded) explains that social psychology among the nurses is going in crisis. The social psychology was actually created after World War 2 where these social skills were expected to serve the British government and the Americans. The call for social skills and social psychology was implemented in medical healthcare industry as part of the political agenda for the political power management in wide areas and applications. In mid 60’s and around 70’s social psychology was a separate group of psychologist who dealt with the dominant groups and prime healthcare centers by suppressing the patient’s psychological rights. The rational social psychology had prime focus on decontextualizing the nursing staff from the laboratories and research. The psychology then was very much concerned and everything was culturally sensitive about that people say and what they do and the adverse affects of them were always linked with the spiritual aspects. The analysis of the psychology influenced the modern paradigm and was termed as psychoanalysis, these theories helped in deriving the psychological patterns of the patients, medical staff and also general public which was used to build a vision in advance level beyond the biological body.
Providing Psychological Care
Good communication skills plan an important role in providing good psychological treatment and support. This support could be provided in both verbal and non verbal form. The communication skill in case of oncology patients is all about general interaction and boosting their spirits to level of acceptance. The psychological support here is more concentrated on supporting the interaction, convey the empathy, make the patient understand about his disease conditions and the affects related to the curing measures and the treatment plans. Apart from the clinical support to the patient nurses play an important role in supporting the patients to hand with confidence for their responsibilities, rise their motivation to fight the disease with a cheerful smile and accept the pain and move forward in the life until they are alive by providing them respect, social support and setting mutual goals among them and many such activities are carried out as explained by Ritchie (2001, Vol. 24(3), pp. 165 175).
Rodin et al (2009a, vol. 68(3), pp. 562 569) explains that the trust relationship between the medical staff and the patient is an important support for the cancer experiencing patients are they are likely to be distressed most of the times. Fallowfield and Jenkins (1999, Vol. 35(11), pp. 1592 1597) suggest that non verbal communication is more affective and is a great deal for the patients who scrutinize their doctors and nurses by the facial expressions like fornuances expressions or demeanour. Rodin et al (2009b, Vol. 16(6), pp.42 49) states that non verbal communication is more indicated from the patients to express their good or bad feeling which is as much as affective than that of verbal communication. Whereas verbal communication is crucial and strong in building the relationship with transmission of information, there is always a change of negotiation and treatment discussions. Zebrack et al (2010, Vol. 18(1), pp. 131 135) the patient nurse relationship can vary based on the age factors, gender which plays a high impact on the building a trusted relationship for skillful communication and support. Nurses play a different tact to deal with patients of different ages and different convincing strategy based on the different age group. There is need to provide evidential information about the age group and available support to every patient. Every patient other than the disease he has a personal, professional and social life which is outside the hospital and the disease information and treatment may affect the individual’s fertility, job, education, finances and many such in one or the other way. Nurse’s role part here is to make an attempt to provide the required resources which are in reach of the hospital like provision for education, providing updates about the outside social world, providing the intensive care for the critical patients.
It is the responsibility of the nurse and the medical staff to have a friendly and cheerful environment for the patient to feel comfortable about living there for a period of time as required for his treatment. The initial and the final emotional journey is very much demanding and the patients and their family members mainly rely on the nursing staff and the medical attending for the proper information and support to pass through the tragic journey. Oh and Kim (2010, vol. 37(2), pp.98 104) discuss here that the emotional ups and downs in the oncology patients result in ups and down of their physical health which in return affects the quality of life. The more distressed patient is more prone loose the physical health and the quality of life is on stake. Vodermaier et al (2009, Vol.101 (21), pp.1464 1488) suggest that questionnaires are helpful tools for routine screening of cancer treatment procedure and balance the emotional distress. The screening advantage give equal access to the psychological treatment to identify and over look the substantial proportion in distress management. Lin and Bauer-Wu (2003, Vol. 44(1), pp.69 80) states that cancer is highly affective and stressful journey which associated with difficulties in emotional ups and downs.
Conclusion
This document discussion is considering the psychological support for the patients under oncology treatment and the future discussions will be collection of few such short term and long term treatment based. The role of nurses in balancing the psychology of the patients and their family members for facing the treatment difficulties and mentally preparing for any and all the adverse affects of the concerning diseases.
Nurses play very important role in supporting the psychology of the patient and his family in all the positive hope but in the process the psychology of the nurse also affects, in few long term patients nurses also get attached to them like a family and due to the trajectory faced by the patients also affect the psychology of the nurse which is possible in few cases and with soft natured nurses. Here in future part of the discussion we will also consider the measures to be taken for self psychological support for the nurses themselves.
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