PALETIVE CARE FOR LUNGS CANSER PATIENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

PALETIVE CARE FOR LUNGS CANSER PATIENT - Essay Example â€Å"Bronchogenic carcinoma is a major cause of mortality world-wide and the survival rate has not improved significantly in the last 20 years. Over 150000 new cases of lung cancer are diagnosed in Europe every year but less than 10 percent are cured†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Doyle, Hanks , Cherny, and Calman, K., 2005) The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) defines pain as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage. (Morrow, 2009). It is an experience and assessment is difficult. There is no simple definition for palliative care also, and the definition based on the World Health Organization states â€Å"A Palliative care is care that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing life-threatening illness. With palliative care particular attention is given to the prevention, assessment, and treatment of pain and other symptoms, and to the provision of psychological, spiritual and  emotional support.† (Avert, 2010) Due to lack of effective surgical and medical cure especially for the lung tumors, the importance of palliative cure in this area has significantly increased. In the disease management of lung cancer major surgery is rarely justified for palliation. â€Å"The National Council for Hospice and Specialist Palliative Care Services (1997) has defined psychosocial care as concerned with the psychological and emotional well being of the patient and their family/carers, including issues of self-esteem, insight into an adaptation to the illness and its consequences, communication, social functioning and relationships.† (Jeffrey, 2003, p.1) Palliative care for the patients who are at the verge of death has several dimensions to it apart from the pain associated with the disease. Understanding these following factors is very important as the entire gamut of the care hinges on appreciating the complexities of these factors, as the issue is not