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Earlier Palliative Care Referrals For Nephrology Patients, Jerold Cohen

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Palliative care prevents and relieves suffering through the early identification and treatment of pain and other symptoms, which can be physical, psychosocial, or spiritual (World Health Organization, 2018). It is usually considered a service provided to oncology patients and has positively impacted their treatment. However, it is not as common for many other diseases where the patient would benefit from palliative care involvement. Presently, if palliative care is offered to nephrology patients, it is after they have started dialysis and are having second thoughts whether to continue this treatment plan as it has either become less effective or is interfering …