A nurse is assigned to provide care for a 96-year-old bedridden man who experiences severe pain from a chronic neurological disease.The man asks the nurse to please help him leave this world so that his suffering will end.Which of the following actions would be most appropriate for the nurse to take?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The suicide rate for older Americans is disproportionally high in the American population.Many older adults have serious medical illnesses that provide an explanation for wanting to die.Nurses caring for chronically ill older adults have the added responsibility of determining who is at risk for wanting physician-assisted suicide and helping them to be as comfortable as possible and free of pain through the use of pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions.Nurses are instrumental in ensuring that the older person experiences a pain-free death by advocating for an appropriate pain-management program and working with other health care professionals toward this goal.Refusing to care for the man could be construed as abandonment and is not appropriate in any event.If the patient's pain is controlled, he may have less focus on suicide.Consulting a pain care specialist is the correct action.

A Nurse Is Assigned to Provide Care for a 96-Year-Old