Euthanasia

10 Pages 2415 Words

The nurse continuously assesses and intervenes on the patient’s behalf. Not only does the nurse protect patients from potential risks and complications, but the nurse also has the task of providing patients with comfort and support. This task is among one the most challenging of a nurse’s responsibilities. It is not simply a task that involves going back to the books to find a specific protocol that will work for all patients. The nurse needs to know which interventions will be most comforting to which patients.
In addition to analgesics, therapeutic touch can help the nurse to provide patients with the care and support that they deserve. Contrary to the layman belief, therapeutic touch consists of more than simply hugging or touching someone’s shoulder. Therapeutic touch “is a healing modality that involves touching with the intent to help or heal. Therapeutic touch decreases anxiety, facilitates healing, and relieves pain” (Ignatavicius, Workman, & Mishler, 1999, 39). Therapeutic touch looks at the patient holistically and assumes that one is an energy field. TT mobilizes areas in the patient’s energy field that are not flowing correctly. The practitioner’s body is used to facilitate in redirecting the client’s energies (Ignatavicius et al., 1999, 39). The concept of TT is supported by Roger’s theory of unitary human beings.
Nursing research provides the profession with ways in which the practice can be directed. However, drawing from nursing research and making applications to practice, makes it imperative that the nurse be able to analyze and critique a study. This ensures that the interventions that are carried out on patients actually work. There are many extraneous variables that need to be considered when reading a research article. The nurse should be able to read research and be able to determine if the study was conducted rigorously enough that its findings could be supported.
Turner, Cla...