Abstract:

As a consequence of the increase in population, the incidence of chronic diseases increase. The increase in the percentage of deaths due to chronic diseases and the inability to cope with signs and symptoms due to increasing chronic diseases has increased the need for palliative care services. Palliative care is a form of treatment that is based on team collaboration and can be applied with curative therapy at any stage of any age and serious illness. Palliative care in oncologic patients is a holistic care approach involving caregivers and healthcare workers in the vicinity, with patients at the center. For this reason, it is included in the scope of palliative care, support for family or caregivers together with the patient, loss of the patient and participation and support for the family in the mourning period. Cancer is an important disease with a serious and long-lasting treatment process . Depending on the disease and the methods used in the treatment, many different symptoms may occur in the oncology patients such as pain, fatigue, nausea-vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, malnutrition-anorexia-cachexia, dyspnea. The quality of life of the patient significantly reduce in relation to the symptoms experienced. For palliative care, the goal is not to extend or shorten the patient's life span. In palliative cancer care, it is aimed that the patient has the highest level of goodness and autonomy. Therefore, palliative care include early palliative care and end-of-life care. In particular, nurses working in the oncology field have an important role in symptom management because they communicate more frequently and continuously with patients and their families during palliative care. In symptom management; such as the symptom to be intervened primarily, the age of the patient, the benefit expected from the treatment to be delivered, and the cessation of ineffective treatment, should be considered by the palliative care team. With palliative care practices, nurses contribute to improving the quality of life of the patient and the family providing symptom management and caregivers support for individuals who have received cancer diagnosis.

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