Notes for Student Nurses

Terminal Illness Definition : It is a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and that is reasonably expected to result in the death of patient with a short period of time. A patient who has such illness may be referred as terminal patient or terminally ill patient : often a patient is considered terminally ill when their estimated life expectancy is six months or less. Stages of Terminally Illness: Different patients react to the news that they have a terminal illness in different ways. In general , almost all patients go through various stages of acceptance when disease like cancer has been diagnosed. A) First stage : The first stage is disbelief. There is extreme anxiety  especially about unknown. Shock , despair and anger are common in this phase . The patient may also experience guilt about feeling angry and this can increase the feeling of anger . This phase usually lasts from few days to few months .  B ) Second stage : The second stage is d