Ch 27 Family, Social, Cultural and Religious
A Mexican-American adolescent states to the nurse, "I have cancer because it is God's will. It will make me stronger." The most appropriate response by the nurse is: 1 "You're too young to think that way. You still have many years to live." 2 "Tell me how you feel about the treatment plan." 3 "I'll move your family into the waiting area to give you some quiet time." 4 "I'll contact the hospital chaplain for you."
"Tell me how you feel about the treatment plan." Asking the patient an open-ended question to assess how the patient feels about the treatment plan will provide the nurse with more information about what the patient understands about the illness and exactly what treatment measures the patient desires. It is very common in the Mexican-American culture for patients to feel that health is controlled by environment, fate, and the will of God. The nurse should not provide false reassurance. Family and strong kinship is important in this culture. Separating a family member is not the most appropriate action. The nurse should ask about religious preferences first before assuming the patient would like to speak with a chaplain.
The parent of an adolescent patient is concerned that the child does not confide in the parent anymore. The child writes notes in codes to his friends and keeps secrets. What should the nurse tell the parent? 1 "You should find someone to help you decipher the code on the notes." 2 "I will refer your child to a psychologist because it sounds like you need help." 3 "This is normal adolescent behavior. Just keep communication open." 4 "Your child should not be allowed to play with friends who keep secrets."
"This is normal adolescent behavior. Just keep communication open." During adolescence, children begin to detach from adults, and they tend to have secrets among themselves and confide in their peers rather than their parents. The parent should not try to find someone to decipher the code. This could break the trust between the parent and child. Because this is normal behavior, the child does not need to be referred to a psychologist, nor should the child be kept from his friends.
A couple who is going through a divorce asks the nurse how to disclose this news to their 4-year-old child. What would be the nurse's best response? 1 "You should sit down and calmly explain the situation to your child." 2 "You should not discuss it with the child until after the divorce is final." 3 'You should ask the grandparents or another relative to break the news." 4 "You should take your child to see a psychiatrist to break the news."
"You should sit down and calmly explain the situation to your child." The parents should set aside time and explain the separation to their child. They should answer the child's questions and give the child time to absorb the information. The parents should not hide the information from the child because it can damage trust between the parents and the child. It is healthier when the child finds this out from parents rather than somebody else, whether it is the grandparents or a psychiatrist.
The nurse is assessing a Spanish patient who does not understand or speak English. What is the most appropriate action by the nurse? 1 Obtain only objective symptoms observed in the patient. 2 Take blood samples and ask for other diagnostic tests. 3 Ask for a translator to translate and obtain information. 4 Try to decipher what the patient says and document it
Ask for a translator to translate and obtain information The nurse should always ask for a translator whenever there is a language barrier. The nurse needs both subjective and objective data to care for the patient. The nurse cannot obtain subjective data using only diagnostic tests. Trying to understand what the patient says in another language can lead to misinterpretation.
A single working parent of a 2-year-old child comes to the clinic for a health checkup. The parent is worried about caring for the child while managing work. Which option can help the parent work outside the home and attend to the child? 1 Prenatal care 2 Day care service 3 Adoption service 4 Tertiary hospitals
Day care service Single parents who are working can use a day care facility for their children while they are at work. Prenatal care is needed for regular health checks of pregnant women. Adoption services are needed by people who want to adopt children. Tertiary hospitals are for those in need of medical intervention.
The nurse is caring for a Hindu patient who wears a thread around his body. What should the nurse do while caring for this patient? 1 Remove the thread because it is not therapeutic. 2 Do not remove the thread because it is considered sacred. 3 Tell the patient that wearing the thread is unnecessary. 4 Remove and replace the thread with a new one every day
Do not remove the thread because it is considered sacred The nurse should not remove the thread. Many Hindus wear thread, which they consider sacred, around the body. Unless it obstructs medical care, it should not be removed. The nurse should respect the patient's religion and beliefs and should not tell the patient that wearing the thread is unnecessary. It should not be removed and replaced because it is considered sacred.
The nurse is caring for a 7-year-old child. The child wears an amulet because the family believes that it will protect the child from the evil eye. For a diagnostic procedure, the nurse has to take this amulet off. What should the nurse do? 1 Allow the child to continue to wear the amulet for comfort during all aspects of the procedure. 2 Do not perform the prescribed procedure because removing the amulet will hurt the family's feelings. 3 Get permission from the family to remove it for the procedure and replace it afterwards. 4 Ask the family to remove the amulet and not to let the child wear it because it obstructs medical care
Get permission from the family to remove it for the procedure and replace it afterwards The nurse should try to avoid hurting the family's feelings. If the amulet is an obstacle to medical care, the nurse should explain that to the family and obtain their permission to remove the amulet for the procedure. The nurse should replace it as soon as the procedure is over. Continuing the procedure without taking off the amulet may interfere with the procedure or hurt the child. The nurse should not cancel the procedure because it is essential for the child's care. The nurse should not ask the family to remove the amulet permanently because it does not impede all medical care; affects only this procedure.
What is appropriate advice for parents who are preparing to tell their children about their decision to divorce? 1 Avoid crying in front of children. 2 Avoid discussing the reason for the divorce. 3 Give reassurance that the divorce is not the children's fault. 4 Give reassurance that the divorce will not affect most aspects of the children's lives.
Give reassurance that the divorce is not the children's fault If parents are able, they should hold and touch children and reassure them that they are not the cause of the divorce . Parents can cry in front of children; it may give the children permission to do the same. Parents should provide the reasons for the divorce in a manner the children will understand. Reassuring children that most aspects of their lives will not be affected is false reassurance because many aspects will change.
A parent is interested in obtaining information about foster care. What is the most appropriate explanation the nurse can give the parent? Foster care is: 1 Another name for an orphanage where many children stay together. 2 When children stay with grandparents away from their own parents. 3 Placing the child in an approved living situation away from the family. 4 When a child is adopted by somebody else and resides with them
Placing the child in an approved living situation away from the family By definition, foster care is an approved living situation where the child is placed away from the family. These people are generally unrelated to the child, and this arrangement is for a fixed period of time. An orphanage is an institution for children without parents. Many children live with their relatives or grandparents if parents are unable to care for the children or if the parents have died. This is not considered foster care. Adoption is when a child is permanently placed in a new home and the new parents adopt the child.
Which person is the most likely to be included in a 5-year-old child's primary social group? 1 A priest 2 A doctor 3 The child's mother 4 A third cousin
The child's mother The primary social group of a child consists of people with whom the child has intimate and regular contact. The mother is the most appropriate example of primary social group member. The priest, doctor, and third cousin are members of a secondary social group.
The nurse is caring for a Mexican patient with severe febrile seizures. As a part of the care, the nurse removes the child's clothing and provides a bath while maintaining privacy. The nurse also takes off an amulet and necklace worn by the child. Later in the day, the child's parents refuse to speak to the nurse. What is the likely cause for their behavior? 1 They oppose treatments in conventional medicine. 2 They did not like the nurse touching and bathing their child. 3 They did not want the amulet and necklace to be removed. 4 Their spiritual healer forbids them to talk to the nurse.
They did not want the amulet and necklace to be removed. Many religions believe in supernatural causes and cures of diseases. Many Mexican people wear amulets and necklaces, which they believe ward off evil and protect a person from evil eye and diseases. The nurse took off the amulet and necklace without speaking to the parents or asking their permission. This is the most likely cause of the parents' displeasure. The parents brought the child to the hospital, which suggests they have no objection to modern medicine or nursing care.
The parent of a hospitalized child tells the nurse, "We do not eat meat. We are practicing Buddhists and strict vegetarians." The most appropriate intervention by the nurse is to: 1 order the child a meatless tray. 2 tell the parent to take off any meat on the child's meal tray. 3 ask the parent if he or she would like to have a Buddhist priest visit. 4 explain to the parent that meat provides protein needed to heal the child
order the child a meatless tray. It is essential for the nurse to respect the religious practices of the child and parent. The nurse should be culturally sensitive to the religious practices of the child and parent and ensure that nutritionally complete vegetarian meals are prepared by the dietary department. Asking the parent if he or she would like a Buddhist priest is not addressing the vegetarian diet and not being respectful of the child and parent's religious beliefs. The nurse should not encourage the child and parent to go against their religious beliefs.
