Fear Management in Patients

Question: What is the best way to respond to Anthony's fears? Answer: Anthony Taylor has been diagnosed with primary carcinoma in the liver, at the age of 34 years; his conditions have progressed into advanced territory a lot before he came under the clinical care. His symptoms were elevated levels of nausea, fatigue and bloated abdomen for which the diagnosis included an ultrasound that revealed hypoechoic lesions on both sides of his liver and was referred to the oncologist. Naturally the patient exhibits shock and denial at the prognosis and the fact that the general physician has commented that he has only 12 months to live. Shock, when extreme can lead to major cardiac complexities, and should be addressed in patients immediately. As the patient starts showing signs of fear and shock it is imperative to calm the patient. It is advisable to ask the patient to lie down and try to breathe in and out if the patient pales and hyperventilates (Crist Grunfeld, 2013). It is of vital importance to let the blood flow to the brain to prevent the chances of stroking, and it is also advisable to hydrate the patient to stabilize him. Followed by that, the fear and confusion of the patient need to be addressed. The patient needs to be educated about his diagnosis and cancer in general (Northouse, 2012). Moreover, the patient needs to be informed that the general practioner has just given a primary prognosis, his recovery status will be clarified to him by the oncologist assigned to him. References: Crist, J. V., Grunfeld, E. A. (2013). Factors reported to influence fear of recurrence in cancer patients: a systematic review.Psycho?Oncology,22(5), 978-986. Northouse, L. L. (2012, September). Helping patients and their family caregivers cope with cancer. InOncology Nursing Forum(Vol. 39, No. 5).