The nurse cares for a client who has a do-not-resuscitate prescription, and notes extensive skin mottling and vital signs consistent with impending death. The client's spouse states, "I hope my spouse can hang on a little longer; our anniversary is in 2 days." What response by the nurse is appropriate?

Question

The nurse cares for a client who has a do-not-resuscitate prescription, and notes extensive skin mottling and vital signs consistent with impending death.  The client's spouse states, "I hope my spouse can hang on a little longer; our anniversary is in 2 days."  What response by the nurse is appropriate?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

End-of-life care includes providing psychosocial support to the client's family members and assisting them through the dying process. This is accomplished by providing factual, open, and honest communication while conveying empathy. The nurse can reduce family members' fear and anxiety by helping them anticipate what to expect as death becomes imminent, while using the therapeutic communication technique of offering self (Option D). (Option A) Encouraging the client's spouse to recall fond memories is comforting and therapeutic but does not provide information about the client's imminent death. (Option B) Telling the client's spouse that the client may not be present for an upcoming event does not convey empathy or provide factual information about the client's impending death. (Option C) Statements such as "death happens in its own time" are cliché; providing platitudes or trite statements is not therapeutic. Educational objective: When assisting a client's family through the dying process, the nurse should provide factual, open, and honest communication; help the family anticipate what is happening and when death is imminent; and use the therapeutic technique of offering self.

The Nurse Cares for a Client Who Has a Do-Not-Resuscitate