Self-Assessment of Your Beliefs About Death and Dying

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Specializes in Peds, Med-Surg, Disaster Nsg, Parish Nsg.

We all must eventually come face-to-face with our own deaths. What has influenced your views on death? As a nurse or other health-care professional, how do your beliefs about death and dying affect how you render care to the individual who is dying?

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Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care, OB/GYN, Peds,.

I have viewd alll 4 DVDs on the particular subject and have been caring for Hospice/Palliative Care patients for 9 years. Since I cannot pull up the quiz due to firewalls in our system I will explain my thoughts. We are not meant to be here forever, no matter how well we care for our earthly bodies we will die. I don't believe in assisted suicide because I am not God and will not decide when it is my time to die. I have seen a lot of death and dying in my 42 years as a nurse, especially in these last years. Yes we can to some extent control how we die by writing our wishes and informing our loved ones what those wishes are. We can decide whether or not we want to fight with agressive treatments or just live as well as we can and enjoy whatever time we have left. My favorite was a patient who was actively dying and was praising Jesus the entire time, thanking God that she would soon be home with Him. That is how I want to go out of here. It may be easier to accept death as a part of life as we age, I'm not sure that I felt the same at 20 or 30, I'm sure that I didn't. I think that I give very good care to patients who are dying and their families/caregivers who will be left to grieve their loss. Thank you for bringing this to the forefront, I am eager to see what others will write.:redpinkhe

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
shrinky said:
I have viewd alll 4 DVDs on the particular subject and have been caring for Hospice/Palliative Care patients for 9 years. Since I cannot pull up the quiz due to firewalls in our system I will explain my thoughts. We are not meant to be here forever, no matter how well we care for our earthly bodies we will die. I don't believe in assisted suicide because I am not God and will not decide when it is my time to die. I have seen a lot of death and dying in my 42 years as a nurse, especially in these last years. Yes we can to some extent control how we die by writing our wishes and informing our loved ones what those wishes are. We can decide whether or not we want to fight with agressive treatments or just live as well as we can and enjoy whatever time we have left. My favorite was a patient who was actively dying and was praising Jesus the entire time, thanking God that she would soon be home with Him. That is how I want to go out of here. It may be easier to accept death as a part of life as we age, I'm not sure that I felt the same at 20 or 30, I'm sure that I didn't. I think that I give very good care to patients who are dying and their families/caregivers who will be left to grieve their loss. Thank you for bringing this to the forefront, I am eager to see what others will write.:redpinkhe

You've pretty much said it all, at least for me. Nice post!:yeah::up:

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tnbutterfly said:
we all must eventually come face-to-face with our own deaths. what has influenced your views on death? as a nurse or other health-care professional, how do your beliefs about death and dying affect how you render care to the individual who is dying?

I'm starting to feel like this job just isn't for me. Last week a patient that I've taken care of quite a few times came back in the hospital. This situation was very grim, he had stage three colon cancer and 2nd degree lymphoma. I was there in the room when the physician came to speak to the family and he told them that he was considering operation for his blockage in his colon.

Its as if he told that poor family one thing.....I don't know if it was to pacify them. All of us nurses knew this man was too weak, I just don't understand why we don't just tell the family....I'm sorry but there isn't a thing that we can do, instead this poor family thinks that everything is going to be okay. The physician ordered 8cc's of morphine and for whatever reason I came in for my shift and I found out that the nurse I was relieving was giving him 10cc's every three hours and he had fallen in the bathroom and noone even notified the family. Now this man was in coma, his vitals all dropped and she also had his o2 level on a 4.

Then the next day the physician ordered a DNR even though the patient was out of it. I couldn't believe he didn't contact the family....I thought for sure you had to have 2 signatures for a DNR. I just wish there was something I could have done.I love each and everyone of my patients and I want them to have the best of care....I don't know if it means that we have the right to pain management.I wouldn't want anyone to suffer, but how can we make that decision for them without even talking to this family.

:cry:

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I've been a hospice nurse for 23 years and most doctors are not good about telling families that treatment will do more harm than good. Hospice has had for all the years I've been working in the field, the problem of getting "late" referrals which means the doc finally get to the truth and bring up the subject of hospice about two weeks before the patient dies. In reality, Medicare saysthat a person is eligable for hospice when the doc thinks they have 6 months to live. Realistically, families need to think in terms of half the time the doctor estimates a person will survive.

I believe, as ana dvocate for the patient, you can always talk about the "benefits vs burden" of any recommended treatment.

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Specializes in OR.

I always prepare myself for the worst when I get ready for work , I try not to become to emotionally involved with my patients/clients . I do in homecare for an agency and I never know what will happen when I walk through that door . Death seems to always be on my mind since I have started my career in healthcare. It has made me confront my fears of my own immortality its a interesting journey of emotions and personal growth .

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Specializes in LTC.

I told my doctor just last week in front of my daughter, that I don't want any artificial means to keep me alive if there is no chance I am going to survive. My doctor told me that he would do his level best to do his best to keep me alive if there was a chance I would survive. I know he would too, because he has already saved my life twice. I am not afraid to die, because I have assurance about where I am going to go. Being a practicing Christian gives me peace with death. I also want to donate any body part that is viable to medical science to help others in need.

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