Palliative and hospice care: Nursing

Nurse Sumara works in an oncology unit at a hospital. She has been caring for a client named Monique during her chemotherapy treatment for stage IV breast cancer. Monique has been experiencing pain, nausea, fatigue, and decreased appetite due to the treatment, so the oncologist initiates palliative care to better manage her symptoms. Over the next 30 days the palliative care provides symptom relief for Monique, however, the cancer isn’t responding to treatment and continues to progress. Monique’s oncologist plans a meeting with Monique, her family, and Nurse Sumara to discuss Monique’s options. The oncologist discusses Monique’s disease progress and then says, “Your options are to continue palliative care and cancer treatment or consider hospice. This decision is totally up to you and your healthcare team will support you no matter what you decide.”

Palliative care is a type of specialized care that focuses on managing symptoms for those with serious illnesses to reduce suffering and maintain quality of life. This includes treatment for a wide range of symptoms like pain, depression, constipation, and insomnia. Palliative care is often provided together with curative treatment, like surgery or chemotherapy in Monqiue’s case.

On the other hand, hospice care is also focused on supportive care and symptom management but without treating the actual disease. Hospice care is usually reserved for clients with six months or less to live who have no options for curative treatment or have chosen not to pursue treatment.

Okay, so both palliative and hospice care are ways of providing holistic care for clients with a serious or life-threatening medical condition with the goal of helping them and their families to achieve the best quality of life. Palliative and hospice care teams are multidisciplinary, and can include physicians, social workers, case managers, nutritionists, spiritual advisors, and nurses.

Nurses who provide care for clients receiving palliative or hospice care aim to reduce distressing symptoms while supporting them and their families emotionally.