Division of Nursing and Midwifery, Health Sciences School, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England.
Division of Nursing and Midwifery, Health Sciences School, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England, and practice educator, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, England.
Nurs Stand. 2021 Nov 3;36(11):61-65. doi: 10.7748/ns.2021.e11789. Epub 2021 Oct 25.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a significant increase in the demand for palliative and end of life care, particularly in the community. Furthermore, palliative and end of life care services face growing pressures due to the increasing number of older people and increasing prevalence of chronic illness. Palliative and end of life care cannot be provided solely by specialists but needs to be integrated into mainstream healthcare. All nurses have a role in supporting patients with life-limiting conditions, and their families, by providing what is termed 'generalist palliative care'. However, some nurses may feel unprepared, unsupported or lacking the confidence and skills for that role. This article explores the definitions of palliative and end of life care, as well as the changes and challenges in service provision brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. It also considers how nurses who have not specialised in this area of practice can be supported to care effectively for patients with life-limiting conditions, and their families, notably through workforce development initiatives such as training programmes and clinical supervision. This could not only increase the skills of the nursing workforce but also improve patient care.
2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行导致对姑息治疗和临终关怀的需求大幅增加，特别是在社区中。此外，由于老年人数量增加和慢性病发病率上升，姑息治疗和临终关怀服务面临越来越大的压力。姑息治疗和临终关怀不能仅由专家提供，而需要纳入主流医疗保健。所有护士都可以通过提供所谓的“通科姑息治疗”，为患有绝症的患者及其家属提供支持。然而，一些护士可能会感到准备不足、缺乏支持，或者缺乏信心和技能来承担这一角色。本文探讨了姑息治疗和临终关怀的定义，以及 COVID-19 大流行带来的服务提供方面的变化和挑战。它还考虑了如何支持没有专门从事这一实践领域的护士为患有绝症的患者及其家属提供有效护理，特别是通过劳动力发展举措，如培训计划和临床监督。这不仅可以提高护理人员的技能，还可以改善患者的护理。
