Question 1

Basic human needs are a priority for the dying person. What is the highest priority for nursing care at this time?

Accepted Answer

Physical needs are considered the highest priority for nursing care for the dying person, as addressing pain, discomfort, and other physical symptoms can significantly impact the individual's quality of life in their final days. Ensuring physical comfort is a foundational aspect of palliative care.

Question 2

A client with a terminal illness is in the acceptance stage of dying. The family is worried that the client is devoid of all feelings and has given up everything associated with life.
How can the nurse explain the client's behavior to the family?

Accepted Answer

The acceptance stage of dying, as described by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in her model of the five stages of grief, involves the dying person coming to terms with their mortality. This stage is characterized by a sense of peace and the resolution of unfinished business, rather than an avoidance of reality or unwillingness to communicate. It's a process of accepting the reality of death and finding peace in that acceptance, which can sometimes be misunderstood by family members as detachment or lack of feeling.

Question 3

A young male client diagnosed with terminal cancer is experiencing anger and rage as a result of the impending death. Based on the data collected, how does the nurse best explain the client's reaction?

Accepted Answer

The client's anger and rage can be best understood as a reaction to feeling helpless about the situation. Terminal illness often leads to feelings of loss of control and helplessness, which can manifest as anger.

Question 4

A client diagnosed with terminal illness sleeps a great deal as a means of escaping from reality of the inevitable but accepted death. Which intervention should the nurse include in the plan of care to support the client at this stage of the death process?

Accepted Answer

Providing gentle touch can offer comfort and reassurance, acknowledging the client's need for support and presence during this stage of acceptance.

Question 5

When a terminally ill client dwells on past losses, the nurse recognizes that the client is in which state of dying?

Accepted Answer

When a terminally ill client dwells on past losses, it is indicative of the depression stage of dying. This stage involves mourning for current and future losses, including the ultimate loss of life itself.

Question 6

The long-term life partner of a client diagnosed with terminal cancer is unable to confront the situation. What intervention should the nurse offer the partner to assist in appropriate participation in the client's dying process?

Accepted Answer

Talking honestly about death with both the client and the staff can help the partner confront the situation and participate appropriately in the dying process.

Question 7

An older terminally ill client tells the nurse of hoping to live to see a child receive a promotion to full professor. This statement suggests to the nurse that the client is in what stage of dying

Accepted Answer

The statement suggests the client is in the bargaining stage of dying, as indicated by the hope of living long enough to see a significant event, which often involves negotiating or making deals with a higher power for more time or a reprieve from death.

Question 8

The nurse is caring for a terminally ill client who is angry and unable to comprehend dying. Which principle should the nurse consider to best ensure that the client reaches a stage of acceptance and peace?

Accepted Answer

Acceptance of death is a highly individual process that occurs in its own time. Each person's journey towards acceptance is unique and cannot be rushed or forced, aligning with the principle that acceptance of death comes in its own time.

Question 9

What is initial stage of Kübler-Ross's stages of grief and loss?

Accepted Answer

The initial stage of Kübler-Ross's stages of grief and loss is Denial. This model, often referred to as the five stages of grief, outlines a series of emotions experienced by survivors of an intimate's death, wherein the first stage is denial, indicating shock and disbelief regarding the loss.

Question 10

How can the nurse best assist a client draw strength from religious faith?

Accepted Answer

Arranging for individuals from the client's religious group to pray with the client directly involves their specific faith community, which can provide significant emotional and spiritual support.

Question 11

A nurse is caring for a dying client who belongs to an organized religious group. Why is religion important for some individuals faced with death?

Accepted Answer

Religion can complement spirituality by providing a framework for beliefs about the soul and the afterlife, offering comfort and meaning to individuals facing death.

Question 12

A client's family tells the nurse that their cultural and ethnic beliefs will not allow their father's body to be left alone at any time before burial. The mortuary is unable to pick up the body until morning because of a terrible storm and the hospital's policy is that all bodies must be stored in the hospital morgue until the body can be transported. What is the initial intervention the nurse should implement to resolve this situation?

Accepted Answer

Contacting the nursing supervisor is the initial intervention the nurse should implement to resolve the issue. The nursing supervisor may have the authority or knowledge of hospital policies to make accommodations for cultural and ethnic beliefs regarding the care of the deceased.

Question 13

A client, diagnosed with cancer states a desired outcome of "quality of life." Which statement indicates that the desired outcome has been met for the client?

Accepted Answer

Quality of life is a broad concept that encompasses various aspects of an individual's well-being and satisfaction with life, including physical health, psychological state, level of independence, social relationships, personal beliefs, and their relationship to salient features of their environment. The statement that the client verbalizes satisfaction regarding relationships with family members indicates an aspect of social and emotional well-being, which is a key component of quality of life, especially for individuals facing serious illnesses like cancer.

Question 14

Which religion demonstrates a death practice that includes family involvement in the care of the deceased body with the funeral ritual being held in the home?

Accepted Answer

The Amish community involves family in the care of the deceased body, with funeral rituals often held in the home, reflecting their community-centric and traditional values.

Question 15

Members of which religion are most likely to deny consent for an autopsy?

Accepted Answer

Christian Scientists are more likely to deny consent for an autopsy due to their religious beliefs that prioritize spiritual healing and may view medical interventions, including autopsies, as contrary to their faith practices.

Question 16

Which religions require mandatory baptism for a dying child? Select all that apply

Accepted Answer

Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox, and Greek Orthodox churches consider baptism very important, often seeing it as necessary for salvation. This belief can extend to ensuring that a dying child is baptized. Quakers and Hindus do not have a practice of baptism in the same sense as these Christian denominations.

Question 17

A client diagnosed with terminal cardiovascular disease is angry and verbally abusive to staff as well as visitors. When a visitor expresses being hurt by the client's actions but wanting to be supportive, which response best supports the client?

Accepted Answer

Listening to the client and understanding the underlying message can help provide emotional support and address the client's needs effectively.

Question 18

Which intervention should the nurse include in the care plan of a terminally ill client in the depression stage of dying?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which intervention should the nurse include in...

Question 19

Which word would best describe the denial stage of dying?

Accepted Answer

Denial, as a stage of dying, is often characterized by shock or disbelief regarding the diagnosis or the fact of impending death, rather than feelings of rage, guilt, or grief, which may be more prevalent in other stages of the grieving process.

Quiz 14: Death and Dying