The director of the Master's in Palliative Care at the University School of Nursing and Physiotherapy San Juan de Dios-Comillas, Antonio Ramos, emphasizes that the specific training of nurses has become "essential" given the increase in chronic diseases, the progressive aging of the population, and the greater complexity of clinical situations.
"Care for chronic conditions and palliative care require professionals with a solid scientific foundation, but also with profound ethical, communicative, and human training (...). The way we accompany people at the end of life speaks to what kind of healthcare system and society we want to be," he/she/it stated on the occasion of International Nurses Day, which is celebrated on Tuesday, May 12.
Coinciding with this anniversary, the San Juan de Dios centers in Madrid have wanted to recognize the contribution of these professionals, present throughout the entire care pathway and with a decisive influence on the most vulnerable groups and in moments of greatest fragility.
"Nurses are often the first emotional and clinical support for the patient and their environment. Our job is to be there, understand, and act with rigor and humanity," explained the Director of Nursing at the San Juan de Dios Center in Ciempozuelos and at the Nuestra Señora de la Paz Clinic, Pablo Plaza.
In the field of palliative care, centers emphasize that the role of nursing acquires even greater weight, as it goes beyond addressing physical symptoms and includes comprehensive support for patients and families, seeking to offer comfort, respect, and dignity.
Always put the person at the center
"Caring is being present, observing, and anticipating. Sometimes, it means preventing an injury; other times, simply accompanying. But it always implies putting the person at the center," pointed out the nursing manager of the Hospital Fundación Instituto San José, María Arroyo.
In acute care devices, such as the San Rafael University Hospital, nursing is essential to articulate a rapid and well-coordinated response, aimed at clinical improvement and the safe return of the patient to their home. "Nursing not only intervenes from clinical knowledge, but also guarantees continuous care in which the patient and their environment feel accompanied at all times," specified its Nursing Director, Emilio Borja Escribano.
From the Nuestra Señora de la Paz Clinic, the work of nurses in child and adolescent mental health and addictions has also been highlighted. In this area, the presence of professionals with advanced competencies in intervention with minors, crisis prevention, management of dual pathology, and family support favors early detection, continuity of treatment, and patient safety.
Along the same lines, the San Juan de Dios Hostel and the Santa María de la Paz Welcome Center highlight the value of specific interventions in contexts of greater vulnerability. Among them are health education and prevention, monitoring of chronic pathologies such as diabetes, or immunization campaigns against diseases such as influenza, tetanus, or hepatitis A.
On the eve of International Nurses Day, the San Juan de Dios centers in Madrid recall that, from palliative care to mental health, through disability or care for the elderly, nurses "are essential" when addressing vulnerability.