Lewis: Chapter 09: Palliative Care at End of Life

As the nurse admits a patient in end-stage renal disease to the hospital, the patient tells the nurse, "If my heart or breathing stop, I do not want to be resuscitated." Which action should the nurse take first? a. Place a "Do Not Resuscitate" (DNR) notation in the patient's care plan. b. Invite the patient to add a notarized advance directive in the health record. c. Advise the patient to designate a person to make future health care decisions. d. Ask if the decision has been discussed with the patient's health care provider.

d. Ask if the decision has been discussed with the patient's health care provider. A health care provider's order should be written describing the actions that the nurses should take if the patient requires CPR, but the primary right to decide belongs to the patient or family. The nurse should document the patient's request but does not have the authority to place the DNR order in the care plan. A notarized advance directive is not needed to establish the patient's wishes. The patient may need a durable power of attorney for health care (or the equivalent), but this does not address the patient's current concern with possible resuscitation.

The nurse admits a terminally ill patient to the hospital. What is the first action that the nurse should complete when planning this patient's care? a. Determine the patient's wishes regarding end-of-life care. b. Emphasize the importance of addressing any family issues. c. Discuss the normal grief process with the patient and family. d. Encourage the patient to talk about any fears or unresolved issues.

a. Determine the patient's wishes regarding end-of-life care. The nurse's initial action should be to assess the patient's wishes at this time. The other actions may be implemented if the patient or the family express a desire to discuss fears, understand the grief process, or address family issues, but they should not be implemented until the assessment indicates that they are appropriate.

A patient with terminal cancer is being admitted to a family-centered inpatient hospice. The patient's spouse visits daily and cheerfully talks with the patient about wedding anniversary plans for the next year. When the nurse asks about any concerns, the spouse says, "I'm busy at work, but otherwise things are fine." Which provisional nursing diagnosis is appropriate for the patient's spouse? a. Ineffective coping related to lack of grieving b. Anxiety related to complicated grieving process c. Hopelessness related to knowledge deficit about cancer d. Caregiver role strain related to spouse's complex care needs

a. Ineffective coping related to lack of grieving The spouse's behavior and statements indicate the absence of anticipatory grieving, which may lead to impaired adjustment as the patient progresses toward death. The spouse does not appear to feel overwhelmed, hopeless, or anxious.

The nurse is caring for a terminally ill patient who is experiencing continuous and severe pain. How should the nurse schedule the administration of opioid pain medications? a. Plan around-the-clock routine administration of analgesics. b. Provide PRN doses of medication whenever the patient requests them. c. Suggest small analgesic doses to avoid decreasing the respiratory rate. d. Offer enough pain medication to keep the patient sedated and unaware of stimuli.

a. Plan around-the-clock routine administration of analgesics. The principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence indicate that the goal of pain management in a terminally ill patient is adequate pain relief even if the effect of pain medications could hasten death. Administration of analgesics on a PRN basis will not provide the consistent level of analgesia the patient needs. Patients usually do not require so much pain medication that they are oversedated and unaware of stimuli. Adequate pain relief may require a dosage that will result in a decrease in respiratory rate.

A patient in hospice is manifesting a decrease in all body system functions except for a heart rate of 124 beats/min and a respiratory rate of 28 breaths/min. Which statement, if made by the nurse to the patient's family member, is most appropriate? a. "These vital signs will continue to increase until death finally occurs." b. "These vital signs are an expected response now but will slow down later." c. "These vital signs may indicate an improvement in the patient's condition." d. "These vital signs are a helpful response to the slowing of other body systems."

b. "These vital signs are an expected response now but will slow down later." An increase in heart and respiratory rate may occur before the slowing of these functions in a dying patient. Heart and respiratory rate typically slow as the patient progresses further toward death. In a dying patient, high respiratory and pulse rates do not indicate improvement or compensation, and it would be inappropriate for the nurse to indicate this to the family.

A patient who has been diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer and has a poor prognosis plans a trip across the country "to settle some issues with family members." The nurse recognizes that the patient is manifesting which psychosocial response to death? a. Protesting the unfairness of death b. Anxiety about unfinished business c. Fear of having lived a meaningless life d. Restlessness about the uncertainty of prognosis

b. Anxiety about unfinished business The patient's statement indicates that there is some unfinished family business that the patient would like to address before dying. There is no indication that the patient is protesting the prognosis, feels uncertain about the prognosis, or fears that life has been meaningless.

Which action is most important for the nurse to take to ensure culturally competent care for an alert, terminally ill Filipino patient? a. Let the family decide how to tell the patient about the terminal diagnosis. b. Ask the patient and family about their preferences for care during this time. c. Obtain information from Filipino staff members about possible cultural needs. d. Remind family members that dying patients prefer to have someone at the bedside.

b. Ask the patient and family about their preferences for care during this time. Because cultural beliefs may vary among people of the same ethnicity, the nurse's best action is to assess the expectations of both the patient and family. The other actions may be appropriate, but the nurse can only plan for individualized culturally competent care after assessment of this patient and family.

A hospice nurse who has become close to a terminally ill patient is present in the home when the patient dies and feels saddened and tearful as the family members begin to cry. Which action should the nurse take at this time? a. Contact a grief counselor as soon as possible. b. Cry along with the patient's family members. c. Leave the home quickly to allow the family to grieve privately. d. Consider leaving hospice work because patient losses are common.

b. Cry along with the patient's family members. It is appropriate for the nurse to cry and express sadness in other ways when a patient dies, and the family is likely to feel that this is supportive. Contacting a grief counselor, leaving the family to grieve privately, and considering whether hospice continues to be a satisfying place to work are all appropriate actions as well, but the nurse's initial action at this time should be to share the grieving process with the family.

A young adult patient with metastatic cancer, who is very close to death, appears restless. The patient keeps repeating, "I am not ready to die." Which action is best for the nurse to take? a. Remind the patient that no one feels ready for death. b. Sit at the bedside and ask if there is anything the patient needs. c. Insist that family members remain at the bedside with the patient. d. Tell the patient that everything possible is being done to delay death.

b. Sit at the bedside and ask if there is anything the patient needs. Staying at the bedside and listening allows the patient to discuss any unresolved issues or physical discomforts that should be addressed. Stating that no one feels ready for death fails to address the individual patient's concerns. Telling the patient that everything is being done does not address the patient's fears about dying, especially because the patient is likely to die soon. Family members may not feel comfortable staying at the bedside of a dying patient, and the nurse should not insist that they remain there.

Which patient should the nurse refer for hospice care? a. A 70-yr-old patient with lymphoma whose children are unable to discuss issues related to dying b. A 60-yr-old patient with chronic severe pain as a result of spinal arthritis and vertebral collapse c. A 40-yr-old patient with AIDS-related dementia who needs palliative care and pain management d. A 50-yr-old patient with advanced liver failure whose family members can no longer provide care in the home

c. A 40-yr-old patient with AIDS-related dementia who needs palliative care and pain management Hospice is designed to provide palliative care such as symptom management and pain control for patients at the end of life. Patients who require more care than the family can provide, whose families are unable to discuss important issues related to dying, or who have severe pain are candidates for other nursing services but are not appropriate hospice patients.

A middle-aged patient tells the nurse, "My mother died 4 months ago, and I just can't get over it. I'm not sure it is normal to still think about her every day." Which nursing diagnosis is most appropriate? a. Hopelessness related to inability to resolve grief b. Complicated grieving related to unresolved issues c. Anxiety related to lack of knowledge about normal grieving d. Chronic sorrow related to ongoing distress about loss of mother

c. Anxiety related to lack of knowledge about normal grieving The patient should be reassured that grieving activities such as frequent thoughts about the deceased are considered normal for months or years after a death. The other nursing diagnoses imply that the patient's grief is unusual or pathologic, which is not the case.

The nurse is caring for an adolescent patient who is dying. The patient's parents are interested in organ donation and ask the nurse how the health care providers determine brain death. Which response by the nurse accurately describes brain death determination? a. "If CPR does not restore a heartbeat, the brain cannot function." b. "Brain death has occurred if there is not any breathing or brainstem reflexes." c. "Brain death has occurred if a person has flaccid muscles and does not awaken." d. "If respiratory efforts cease and no apical pulse is audible, brain death is present."

b. "Brain death has occurred if there is not any breathing or brainstem reflexes." The diagnosis of brain death is based on irreversible loss of all brain functions, including brainstem functions that control respirations and brainstem reflexes. The other descriptions describe other clinical manifestations associated with death but are insufficient to declare a patient brain dead.

The son of a dying patient tells the nurse, "Mother doesn't really respond any more when I visit. I don't think she knows that I am here." Which response by the nurse is appropriate? a. "Cut back your visits for now to avoid overtiring your mother." b. "Withdrawal can be a normal response in the process of dying." c. "Most dying patients don't know what is going on around them." d. "It is important to stimulate your mother so she can't retreat from you."

b. "Withdrawal can be a normal response in the process of dying." Withdrawal is a normal psychosocial response to approaching death. Dying patients may maintain the ability to hear while not being able to respond. Stimulation will tire the patient and is not an appropriate response to withdrawal in this circumstance. Visitors are encouraged to be "present" with the patient, talking softly and making physical contact in a way that does not demand a response from the patient.

Which nursing actions for the care of a dying patient can the nurse delegate to a licensed practical/vocational nurse (LPN/LVN) (select all that apply)? a. Provide postmortem care to the patient. b. Encourage the family members to talk with and reassure the patient. c. Determine how frequently physical assessments are needed for the patient. d. Teach family members about commonly occurring signs of approaching death. e. Administer the prescribed morphine sulfate sublingual as necessary for pain control.

A, B, E a. Provide postmortem care to the patient. b. Encourage the family members to talk with and reassure the patient. e. Administer the prescribed morphine sulfate sublingual as necessary for pain control. Medication administration, psychosocial care, and postmortem care are included in LPN/LVN education and scope of practice. Patient and family teaching and assessment and planning of frequency for assessments are skills that require registered nurse level education and scope of practice.

The nurse is caring for an unresponsive terminally ill patient who has 20-second periods of apnea followed by periods of deep and rapid breathing. Which action by the nurse would be appropriate? a. Suction the patient's mouth. b. Administer oxygen via face mask. c. Document Cheyne-Stokes respirations. d. Place the patient in high Fowler's position.

c. Document Cheyne-Stokes respirations. Cheyne-Stokes respirations are characterized by periods of apnea alternating with deep and rapid breaths. Cheyne-Stokes respirations are expected in the last days of life and are not position dependent. There is also no need for supplemental oxygen by face mask or suctioning the patient.

The nurse is caring for a patient with lung cancer in a home hospice program. Which action by the nurse is appropriate? a. Discuss cancer risk factors and appropriate lifestyle modifications. b. Teach the patient about the purpose of chemotherapy and radiation. c. Encourage the patient to discuss past life events and their meanings. d. Accomplish a thorough head-to-toe assessment several times a week.

c. Encourage the patient to discuss past life events and their meanings. The role of the hospice nurse includes assisting the patient with the important end-of-life task of finding meaning in the patient's life. Frequent head-to-toe assessments are not needed for hospice patients and may tire the patient unnecessarily. Patients admitted to hospice forego curative treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation for lung cancer. Discussion of cancer risk factors and therapies is not appropriate.