This paper with be focusing on case scenario 3. The patient in this scenario is Jennifer Vaughan, 34. She lives with her partner William, has no children yet. They have two pet dogs. Her parents live an hour drive away and see her father once a week. Her parents have no history of cancer. Jennifer presented to hospital with abdomen pain and fullness. After laparotomy, it was found that Jennifer has carcinoma of right ovary which was followed by right oophorectomy. Three months after her early treatment, she was diagnosed with lymph node metastases on her right groin which means her disease has spread and cannot be cured. Jennifer will now be in palliative care setting, where the main aim is symptom management and deliver quality life. This concept includes many subjective elements such as physical, emotional and social function, cultural, attitudes to illness, patient’s daily living activities including communication with the family. However, in the following paragraphs, issues relating to Jennifer’s situation such as physiological, psychological, social and spiritual will be discussed briefly. The issues mentioned above will also demonstrate the complication of Jennifer’s experience and how the Registered Nurse (RN) is effectively able to care holistically while making sure that all care provided is of high ethical standard.
Firstly, from the case scenario, the physiological issue of Jennifer include symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fatigue, anorexia, weight loss, constipation and difficulty in ambulating. According to Farrell and Dempsey (2011) the symptoms of ovarian cancer include increasing abdominal pain, pelvic pressure, bloating, indigestion, flatulence, gastrointestinal symptoms. The assessment and management of pain in the palliative care setting is the most significant role of RN in order to provide comfort and ease the death of the person, at the same time maintaining the dignity of the
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