The home health aide reports to the nurse care manager that the client has been trying to give away possessions. When the nurse asks the client about this behavior, the client says, "With my spouse dead, there's no reason for me to go on." What is the best priority response by the nurse?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Giving away possessions and making statements such as, "There is no reason for me to go on," are indications of suicidal ideation. The most important nursing action is to perform a suicide risk assessment to determine interventions to ensure the client's safety. Determining if the client has had thoughts of self harm is a priority. The nurse can ask the client direct questions such as, "Do you feel like hurting yourself?" or "Are you thinking about killing yourself?" or "Do you want to die?" During the assessment, it is important for the nurse to create a sense of trust and compassion and engage the client in a nonjudgmental manner. Additional questions that are part of a suicide risk assessment include the following: Have you thought about how you would kill yourself? Do you have a plan to kill yourself? If you were to kill yourself, how would you do it? If the client has a suicide plan, the nurse needs to ask about the details. The risk of a client completing suicide increases when the client has planned for a specific time and place, has chosen a highly lethal method (eg, firearm, hanging), and has chosen circumstances in which there would be little or no chance of interruption. (Option A) It is important to assess the client's social support system, but it is not the priority assessment. (Option C) This is not the priority assessment; it is more important to determine if the client is thinking about suicide or has a plan. (Option D) This is a leading question and implies what the answer should be. Educational objective: A suicide risk assessment is the priority nursing action for a client who expresses thoughts about "not wanting to go on" or "wishing for death" or engages in potential suicidal indicators such as giving away possessions. Asking the client directly about thoughts of hurting or killing oneself is a therapeutic approach and an essential component of the risk assessment.

The Home Health Aide Reports to the Nurse Care Manager