Abstract Background: End of life is difficult to establish in patients with dementia and many patients die due to complications related to the disease. To document that care are palliative in this group of patients is not common among nurses and physicians. This may depend on that the palliative course is extended and not similar to the palliative course common among patients with cancer. Aim: To describe how the registered staff in nursing homes document the care of persons with dementia in a late palliative phase. Method: A retrospective record study with a deductive approach. Nursing (n = 50) and medical records (n = 50) for departed patients were reviewed using a review guide based on the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP). Data were analyzed with a manifest content analysis. The occurrence of documentation in the records was also counted. Results: Three categories were formulated from the analysis: Initial assessment, Coherent assessment and Follow-up. According to medical records the nurses and physicians knew that patients with dementia were dying, but the position on palliative care was not always decided. Nurses and physicians knew that patients with dementia were dying but they did not take a stand that the patient needed palliative care. Mainly physical symptoms were documented and to a lesser degree psychological, social or existential/spirituality needs. Discussion: It was difficult to form a true picture of patients’ situation from out the documentation. Partly because all caring actions were not documented and the review guide was limited as all parts provided to give a holistic care was not represented. That relative had been provided information that the patient was palliative was accurately documented. Conclusion: The holistic care that patients with dementia need in a palliative phase is not elucidated in the documentation in nursing homes in spite of nurses and physicians knowledge of that the patient are dying.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:miun-11198 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Högsnes, Linda |
| Publisher | Mittuniversitetet, Institutionen för hälsovetenskap |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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