Nurse’s Reflection- A Case Study in Palliative Care

Abstract

Background: Case reflection upon experience is a valuable process in nursing education. All educators should engage in reflective practice in order to improve their teaching, motivating and guiding the students and thereby improving nursing practice. It helps in self development of the individual. It is a learning tool to reflect and improve upon our own practice. Reflection helps us to gain insight as to the process we followed in the care of the patient, lacunae can be identified and improvements can be made further in the quality of care provided to the patients. Method: In this article, a patient was selected to whom I had cared in the past. The patient’s confidentiality has been maintained and the consent of the patient has been sought for using the case as case reflection study. The knowledge of palliative care was incorporated in the clinical care and practice. Reflection on the management of the patient has been done both at personal and professional level. Results: Palliative care is of utmost importance to provide treatment to the patient with chronic illnesses. The various components of palliative care have been analysed through case reflection. Initiating palliative care right from the diagnosis of illness, effective communication, symptom management, addressing spiritual and religious issues are important in improving quality of care to the patients and families. Conclusion: Case reflection is a valuable experience as it adds to personal and professional learning. Case reflection can help the students to provide the best care to the patients and family members based on their learning from the experiences. Holistic care needs to be provided in this highly technical machine oriented treatment. Through case reflection we can assess and identify gaps in our knowledge and practice. Compassionate nursing care is required for the patient and family. Reflective practice is highly valued and strongly recommended in nursing education and practice.