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Brunner & Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing 14e (Hinkle 2017)
Chapter 16 : End-of-Life Care Questions
Question 1 of 5
In the past three to four decades, nursing has moved into the forefront in providing care for the dying. Which phenomenon has most contributed to this increased focus of care of the dying?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The focus on care of the dying has been motivated by the aging of the population, the prevalence of, and publicity surrounding, life-threatening illnesses (e.g., cancer and AIDS), and the increasing likelihood of a prolonged period of chronic illness prior to death. The salience of acute infections, prevention measures, and death in hospital settings are not noted to have had a major influence on this phenomenon.
Question 2 of 5
A nurse who works in the specialty of palliative care frequently encounters issues and situations that constitute ethical dilemmas. What issue has most often presented challenging ethical issues, especially in the context of palliative care?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The application of technology to prolong life has raised several ethical issues. The major question is, Because we can prolong life through increasingly sophisticated technology, does it necessarily follow that we must do so? The increase in cultural diversity has not raised ethical issues in health care. Similarly, costs and staffing issues are relevant, but not central to the most common ethical issues surrounding palliative care.
Question 3 of 5
The nurse is caring for a patient who has been recently diagnosed with late stage pancreatic cancer. The patient refuses to accept the diagnosis and refuses to adhere to treatment. What is the most likely psychosocial purpose of this patients strategy?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Patients who are characterized as being in denial may be using this strategy to preserve important interpersonal relationships, to protect others from the emotional effects of their illness, and to protect themselves because of fears of abandonment. Each of the other listed options is plausible, but less likely.
Question 4 of 5
A nurse who sits on the hospitals ethics committee is reviewing a complex case that has many of the hallmarks of assisted suicide. Which of the following would be an example of assisted suicide?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Assisted suicide refers to providing another person the means to end his or her own life. This is not to be confused with the ethically and legally supported practices of withholding or withdrawing medical treatment in accordance with the wishes of the terminally ill individual. The other listed options do not fit this accepted definition of assisted suicide.
Question 5 of 5
A medical nurse is providing palliative care to a patient with a diagnosis of end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). What is the primary goal of this nurses care?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The goal of palliative care is to improve the patients and the familys quality of life. The support should include the patients physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Each discipline should contribute to a single care plan that addresses the needs of the patient and family. The goal of palliative care is not aggressive support for curing the patient. Providing physical support for the patient is also not the goal of palliative care. Palliative care does not strive to achieve separate plans of care developed by the patient with each discipline of the health care team.