Using Standardized Nursing Languages in End-of-Life Care Plans

PURPOSE: This case study demonstrates the challenges to achieve dignified life closure and a comfortable death for a middle-aged woman with terminal cancer and her family. DATA SOURCES: Data were obtained from a patient known through the author's clinical experiences, personal family experiences, and published sources. DATA SYNTHESIS: The appropriate nursing diagnosis, patient outcomes, and nursing interventions were identified through the use of NANDA-International, the Nursing Outcomes Classification, and the Nursing Interventions Classification. CONCLUSIONS: This case study illustrates the appropriate nursing diagnosis, interventions, and outcomes pertinent to an individual with emotional distress at the end of life. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Employing the NANDA-International standardized nursing diagnosis, the Nursing Interventions Classification and the Nursing Outcomes Classification provided the needed constructs for considering and improving a dying patient's care in a primary and home setting.