University Of Iowa Hospital & Clinics issued the following announcement on August 6.
What does quality of life mean to you? What do you hope to get out of your care? It’s these types of questions that Carol Harshman, RN BSN, encourages her patients to ponder.
Carol Harshman, RN, BSN
“It helps the team align the care we provide with the patient’s goals, to make sure we’re collaborating and working on the same page, and to make sure we’re doing things for the patient and not just to them,” says Harshman.
For Harshman and her colleagues, these conversations provide the foundation for a holistic approach to supportive care.
Understanding supportive care
Before Harshman and the supportive care team are brought in to consult with a patient, they often first meet with a provider like Friederike Fischer, MD.
“Those initial care conversations are sometimes very difficult,” says Fischer, hospitalist in internal medicine. “I’ll tell patients that even though we may not be able to treat their cancer, or their severe surgical complications, or whatever it may be, there are still things we can do for them. We can still give them a high quality of life and have them be able to do the things they may still want to do.”
View our graphic for a full breakdown on the different care types for serious illnesses.
It’s at this point of the care process that Fischer emphasizes the importance of the supportive care team nurses like Harshman.
“Carol comes in with a different mission,” she says. “They don’t take a medical approach per se. They come in to talk with the patients about their life: figure out what’s important to them, what they still want to do, how they feel about the hospital, and much more. They help get the patient on the right path in their care.”
The final step
Friederike Fischer, MD
The final portion of Harshman’s consults with patients consists of a symptom assessment, the point at which she can identify if the patient would benefit from other hospital services.
“It’s important to provide holistic care for the patients while they’re here, helping them through their hospital stay by providing additional resources,” says Harshman. “For example, if the symptom assessment shows a patient may be struggling with anxiety or depression, I would recommend the psych nurse, or spiritual services, and maybe even offer library resources to help the patient during their stay here.”
Supportive care services are available to help assist in your patient care. For a supportive nurse consult, page 5122.
Her role allows her to provide care in a more intimate and personal way. For Harshman, it’s what she enjoys most.
“I love being that presence where I can sit, listen, provide that kind of supportive care to our patients,” she says. “I get to help emphasize that we really care about them.”
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up