Nursing Care for Cancer Patients

Nursing care for cancer patients is often complicated. Cancer patients undergo chemotherapy surgery and radiotherapy as part of the treatment. The contribution of the cancer nursing care to the patients is probably even more important.

Major advances have been made in cancer treatment. However cancer nursing care has made the most advancement over the years. In the recent past, cancer survival rates have been on the increase and this is mostly attributed to the nursing care that patients receive. Nowadays cancer nursing care often involves the role of the immediate care giver who is with the patient at of the times, educating both the family and the care givers on how the patient should be handles and providing consulting services at both the hospital level and at home.

Nursing care for cancer patients is needed at all stages of cancer. However the latter stages are the most critical as during this time, the cancer cells will have spread to major body parts. The patient will mostly require tender loving care that the cancer nursing care specialist will offer.

Cancer nursing care is not just for the sick cancer patients. Even people with no cancer need this care. The nurses are the people who will screen and test people who want to know if they have any cancerous tumors in the regular checkups. It is advisable to go for regular checkups for cancer screening. In particular the people who are most at risk are encouraged to do so often. Once every year is advisable.

The cancer nurse has a major role to play in the treatment of the patient. They focus on both the medical part and the emotional part. These two go hand in hand in increasing the survival rates of the patient. The cancer nursing care specialist interacts with the patient on a daily basis and it has been shown that the better the relationship between the patient and the care giver, the more the patient will have the will to soldier on. Many care givers are emotionally affected by the patient’s situation.

Managing a cancer patient requires utmost psychological care. Most terminally ill cancer patients develop depression like symptoms. It is important at this stage for the cancer nurse to be with them, comfort them and encourage them to keep fighting.

A cancer nursing care specialist will often act as the link between the patient, the doctor and other care givers in matters relating to the treatment and care the patient is receiving. They will also advise on the kind of diet that the patient requires. Nursing care for cancer patients can be done at home. Advanced stages of cancer are often terminal cases and at times it is preferable that the patients stay at hospices or in a cancer center where they will receive close attention.

The national cancer institute has reviewed the role of the nursing care to patients. The review stresses the importance of ‘maximizing patient comprehension, minimizing apprehension, encouraging patient participation and retention of information.’

There are some cancer nursing care homes specifically for the terminally ill. These offer the most comfortable of stays and are well equipped for all the nursing care needs for cancer patients. For the terminally ill patients it would be better if they were referred to such centers or hospices where they find quality cancer nursing care from top professionals who are able to communicate to them their prognosis.