Question 1

A patient who is a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormon) must increase fluid intake. Which beverages should the nurse offer?

Accepted Answer

Patients who are Mormon do not drink alcoholic beverages and usually avoid beverages that contain caffeine, making fruit juice, milk, or water the only correct answers.

Question 2

The Jewish patient tells the nurse that he does not observe the Sabbath on Sundays. What other time interval would the nurse need to provide for patient Sabbath observances?

Accepted Answer

Jews celebrate the Sabbath from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday. The other options are not times religious groups celebrate the Sabbath.

Question 3

A nurse is preparing a presentation about spirituality and religion. To adequately prepare for peer questions, the nurse should know that the three major religious groups in the United States are the

Accepted Answer

Roman Catholics number more than 67 million members. All Protestant denominations combined have 66 million members. Jews are estimated at 5.6 million members. The other options do not reflect current data.

Question 4

A patient who is terminally ill describes himself as "agnostic." The nurse caring for this person can correctly assume that the patient

Accepted Answer

Spiritual assessment and interventions are appropriate for agnostic patients, because all people have spirituality, even if they do not profess religious beliefs. Agnostic patients possess spirituality. Agnostics may experience spiritual distress. Agnostics do not practice the rituals of any religion.

Question 5

A nurse is caring for a Sunni Muslim patient. The nurse demonstrates cultural sensitivity by understanding that the patient would likely pray to

Accepted Answer

Muslims believe in one God, Allah. The word Islam implies peace. In the sixth century AD, the prophet Muhammad founded Islam in Arabia. Followers of Islam are called Muslims. Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) founded Buddhism in the sixth century BC in India. Christianity is based on a belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.

Question 6

A nurse is caring for an Orthodox Jewish patient who has terminal cancer. The nurse demonstrates cultural sensitivity toward the patient by stating

Accepted Answer

Orthodox Jews follow the traditional faith and strictly adhere to rituals. Jews believe in God but do not have a belief in Christ. A nurse should avoid making references to heaven or Jesus. Jewish clergy are called rabbis. The holy books of the Jews are the Torah and the Talmud.

Question 7

The nurse is caring for an Orthodox Jewish patient who is close to death. An important intervention would be to find out whether the patient

Accepted Answer

Some Jews may not want the nurse to touch the body of a deceased Jew. The nurse should respect this consideration. The other options refer to preferences of other religions.

Question 8

Select the patient who would benefit least from the nurse reading from the New Testament.

Accepted Answer

Mr. D, an Orthodox Jew, does not believe in Jesus as the Messiah. New Testament readings are based on Christianity. The other options identify patients who are Christians.

Question 9

When a patient is asked about religious preference, she states, "I am agnostic." The nurse's best interpretation of this is the patient

Accepted Answer

Agnostics hold the belief that the existence of God can be neither proved nor disproved. Atheists do not believe that the supernatural exists, so they do not believe in God.

Question 10

The nurse who is preparing a Muslim female for a physical examination is told by the patient, "I cannot undress completely." The nurse will appropriately choose interventions based on the knowledge that Muslim women

Accepted Answer

Modesty standards in Islam may require the women to have her body covered from head to ankle. If this is the case, the nurse should arrange for the individual to be draped and able to expose one body part at a time for examination.

Question 11

A patient tells the nurse, "I know my minister will visit me when he checks at the admissions desk and learns I'm a patient." The most facilitative response the nurse can make would be

Accepted Answer

The correct option provides an acceptable way of notifying the minister of the patient's desire for a visit without violating HIPAA privacy standards. Telling the patient that he can count on seeing his pastor within a day or two is False reassurance. It is True that due to federal law, the hospital cannot make the patient's name available to clergy, but that statement does nothing to help the patient make contact with the minister. Telling the patient that clergy rarely make calls to the hospital offers an explanation that is probably unTrue.

Question 12

For which patient should the nurse be most alert for emerging spiritual needs?

Accepted Answer

Patients who have been given bad news are at high risk for experiencing spiritual distress. Of the options provided, only metastatic cancer is considered an incurable disease.

Question 13

A Hindu patient is admitted after a severe head injury and is near death. The organ procurement person tells the nurse, "I don't know much about the Hindu religion, and I have to talk to the family about organ donation. Can you give me any hints?" The best response for the nurse would be

Accepted Answer

Although the religion permits organ donation, individuals or families may have differing viewpoints. Organ donation is not prohibited by religion, and the family would not be very concerned about where the patient's soul will go after death. The statement that "it's hard to know what people who believe cows are sacred will think about organ donation" is not culturally sensitive.

Question 14

The nurse working in the neonatal intensive care unit would implement baptism for a baby not expected to live if the infant's religion is listed as

Accepted Answer

Roman Catholic infants who are critically ill may be baptized by a nurse without a witness. Baptism is considered necessary for salvation and cleansing of all sin. The other Christian denominations do not practice infant baptism.

Question 15

A patient who practices Buddhism tells the nurse, "My pain is the result of things I have done in the past." The nurse, who wishes to be supportive, should respond

Accepted Answer

Buddhists believe pain and suffering are due to actions in this or a past life. The correct option accepts the patient's belief. The statement, "Are you saying you have been a bad person?" is probing. Encouraging a patient who practices Buddhism to ask God to help them bear the pain is inappropriate, because Buddhists do not believe in God. Enlightenment has a specific meaning to Buddhists; it refers to finding the truth of existence and should not be used as a general term.

Question 16

A nurse is caring for a Sunni Muslim patient. The nurse demonstrates cultural sensitivity by

Accepted Answer

Muslims are called to prayer five times a day. If a Muslim brings the Koran, the holy book of Islam, to the health care facility, the nurse should not touch it or place anything on top of it. During Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, adult Muslims abstain from dawn to sunset from food, drink, and sexual activity. If a patient requests to face Mecca, the holy city of Islam, a bed or chair may be positioned in a southeast direction from the United States.

Question 17

A patient has a small piece of paper on which unfamiliar symbols are written hanging on a black string around the neck. To prepare the patient for the operating room (OR), the nurse should

Accepted Answer

Muslim patients often wear writings from the scriptures tied to their bodies. They should be allowed to remain on the patient. Making a note of the location of the writing is appropriate, so the OR staff can reposition it, if necessary, for the surgical procedure. The remaining options are incorrect, because the patient should be allowed to wear the writing.

Question 18

To provide effective spiritual care for a Muslim patient, the nurse recognizes that those who believe in Islam refer to God as

Accepted Answer

Muslims believe in one god, Allah. Brahma is the Hindu creator god. Moroni is the angel sent to reveal the Book of Mormon (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). Redeemer is used by Christians to refer to Jesus.

Question 19

A patient whose religion is listed as Seventh-Day Adventist is admitted to the unit just before lunch. The patient is being examined, and the nurse does not want to interrupt to ask about lunch preferences. A good choice would be to order a

Accepted Answer

Many Seventh-Day Adventists are vegetarians. When dietary preferences are unknown, this choice would be safe.

Question 20

In what religion do adults abstain from food, drink, and sexual activity from dawn to sunset during the ninth month of their religious calendar?

Accepted Answer

During Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, adult Muslims abstain from food, drink, and sexual activity from dawn to sunset.

Quiz 17: Spiritual Needs, Spiritual Caring, and Religious Differences