End of Life Care

This guide specifically outlines clinical practice protocols to be implemented by advanced practice nurses working in end-of-life care, including both palliative and hospice settings. These clinical practice protocols provide advanced practice nurses with "guidelines" for care.

---

Here are the guidelines and tools that the advanced practice nurse needs to provide comprehensive end-of-life care. A review of the end-stage disease processes provide the background for understanding the multiple symptoms experienced by individuals at the end of life. Clinical practice guidelines offer in-depth discussions of the pathophysiology of 17 different symptoms, assessment data to collect when evaluating and monitoring these symptoms, interventions for specific symptom management,and suggestions for patient and family teaching. In addition, a unit in the book is devoted is discussions of psychosocial issues, complementary therapies, and grief and grieving.