Dying is a natural and inevitable part of living. Helping a patient and family members find comfort with and meaning in the experience of dying is often more important than correcting physiologic abnormalities. The physician should preserve and enhance the dignity of the dying patient by allowing the patient and family members to maintain control and participate in end-of-life care whenever possible. The physician and other members of the health care team must also prevent and relieve distress (whether physical, emotional, or spiritual) as effectively as possible. They should know what local laws and institutional policies say about living wills, durable power of attorney, resuscitation, and specific treatments.
When facing death, patients differ in what they consider important. The patient's preferences are paramount, and care must be planned accordingly. Some patients find an appropriate time and way to bring life to a satisfying close; others do not.
Some dying patients benefit from curative, rehabilitative, or preventive care. For others, however, supportive care is the only realistic choice. Good care of the dying involves more than discontinuing unwarranted treatment; it includes developing a care plan that accounts for the patient's goals and the limits imposed by illness.
As nurses care for the dying, they must remember to expand the choices of interventions that improve comfort levels and alleviate pain. Music as a therapeutic nursing intervention helps to alleviate symptoms in people with cancer and is not limited to the active phase of the dying experience. Despite these facts, palliative care nurses may be uncomfortable using music because of a lack of knowledge and resources or time constraints.
Music is considered a universal language. Music therapy is the systematic application of music to achieve a desired therapeutic goal or objective. Music therapists are certified professionals who have earned a bachelor's degree in......
