3 ETHEL MBANWI UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GLOBAL CAMPUS BEHS 380 6980 END

3

ETHEL MBANWI

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GLOBAL CAMPUS

BEHS 380 6980 END OF LIFE ISSUES AND PERSPECTIVE

DR BRENDA SCHILDKNECHT-HARGETT

07/04/2023

Impact of Communication Deficiencies in pain management in End-of-life Care

One of the main goals of end of life is pain management which involves minimizing pain to ensure the individual is comfortable during this period (Lippe et al., 2020). Lippe et al. (2020) explain that communication is at the core of pain management. Communication is generally defined as the process of sharing and receiving information. Becker et al. (2020) note that communication challenges may persist during the end-of-life, which can hinder the implementation of pain management therapy. This topic seeks to understand how communication can reduce the efficiency of pain management in end-of-life care. This would include understanding various ways to determine if the pain has been effectively managed and ensuring that side effects are minimized for optimum quality of life. This is important to improve pain management at the end of life as pain is a key hindering factor that can affect the quality of life during this stage. 

The academic discipline that would be utilized in understanding the context of this topic is communication. In this case, communication will help to understand the key aspects that define the effective exchange of messages during human interaction. Specifically, this would involve analysis of common communication deficiencies and disorders and identifying principles and strategies to combat these deficiencies. According to Hedge and Salvatore (2019), improving communication in instances of deficiencies requires the identification of areas that require improvement for a better outcome. Therefore, this approach will help identify communication deficiencies that can help understand how they impact pain management in end-of-life care. 

One key issue I want to know from this topic is how communication is impacted at the end of life. This would encompass knowing ways in which communication can be reduced or improved. Additionally, I would like to know how pain management is done in end-of-life care and how this can be affected by poor or reduced communication. This includes identifying current criteria utilized and ensuring that quality of life is maintained by minimizing the impacts of pain remedies such as drowsiness from certain medications. 

An organization that is concerned with communication in end of life is called Marie Curie. This organization is relevant to this research topic as it highlights key information on communicating with an individual in end-of-life care. This can help in identifying the possible implication where there are communication deficiencies. Their website URL is copied below:

https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/professionals/palliative-care-knowledge-zone/individual-needs/good_communication#:~:text=Goodcommunicationallowsyouto,lastmonthsweeksanddays. 

The article by Becker et al. (2020) covers key communication challenges when making end-of-life decisions. This source highlights how personal preferences and individual needs need to be considered during this period. The importance of this source is that it would help in understanding key principles that are essential in improving communication. Additionally, it will help to learn more about how communication challenges emerge and ways to ensure proactive measures are adapted, especially for pain management. 

The second article that would be key in this case is written by Lippe et al. (2020), and it explores communication in a team context. This source highlights the role of different team members and how their input is key during end-of-life decisions and care. Additionally, the source highlights pitfalls that can derail effective team communication and ways to improve these aspects. This source is important as it will help to understand communication in a team context which would help understand the possible limitations and possible remedies.  

References

Becker, C., Beck, K., Vincent, A., & Hunziker, S. (2020). Communication challenges in end-of-life decisions. Swiss Medical Weekly, 150(3738), w20351-w20351.

Hegde, M. N., & Salvatore, A. P. (2019). Clinical research in communication disorders: Principles and strategies. Plural Publishing.

Lippe, M., Stanley, A., Ricamato, A., Halli-Tierney, A., & McKinney, R. (2020). Exploring end-of-life care team communication: An interprofessional simulation study. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine®, 37(1), 65-71.