OBJ: Nursing Process: Implementation TOP: End-of-Life Care MSC: NCLEX: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Management of Care 2.. DIF: Cognitive Level: Comprehension REF: 107 OBJ: Nursi
Trang 1Test Bank for Latest Priorities in Critical Care Nursing 6th
edition by Urden
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1 The Patient Self-Determination Act is a federal law that supports the patient’s right to:
a receive fair and equal treatment under the law
b obtain maximum health care benefits from third-party
payers
c control treatment in the future, even if unable to
effectively communicate
d exclude family members from decision making related to
treatments
ANS: C
The Patient Self-Determination Act supports the patient’s right to control future treatment in the event that the individual cannot speak for himself or herself
DIF: Cognitive Level: Comprehension REF: 107
Trang 2OBJ: Nursing Process: Implementation TOP: End-of-Life Care
MSC: NCLEX: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Management of Care
2 The patient’s family is struggling to make decisions related to treatments for the critically ill patient They ask the nurse about the difference between
“withholding” and “withdrawing” life support The nurse will tell them:
a “Morally they are the same, but legally withdrawal is
more difficult to support.”
b “Legally they are on the same level, but morally it
is indefensible to withdraw treatment.”
c “Withdrawal is a legal issue and withholding is a moral
one.”
d “Morally and legally they are considered to be equal.”
ANS: D
Withholding and withdrawing are considered to be morally and legally equivalent
DIF: Cognitive Level: Comprehension REF: 107
OBJ: Nursing Process: Implementation TOP: End-of-Life Care
MSC: NCLEX: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Management of Care
Trang 33 The patient’s husband is terrified by the prospect of removing
life-sustaining treatments from the patient He asks why anyone would do that The nurse explains:
a “It is to save you money so you won’t have such a large
financial burden.”
b “It will preserve limited resources for the hospital so
other patients may benefit from them.”
c “It is to discontinue treatments that are not helping your
wife and may be very uncomfortable for her.”
d “We have done all we can for your wife and any more
treatment would be futile.”
ANS: C
The goal of withdrawal of life-sustaining treatments is to remove treatments that are not beneficial and may be uncomfortable
DIF: Cognitive Level: Application REF: 107
OBJ: Nursing Process: Implementation TOP: End-of-Life Care
MSC: NCLEX: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Management of Care
4 All of the patient’s children are distressed by the possibility of removing life-support treatments from their father The most upset tells the nurse, “This is the same as killing him! I thought you were supposed to help him!” The nurse explains to the family:
Trang 4a “This is a process of allowing your father to die naturally
after the injuries that he sustained in a serious accident.”
b “The hospital would never allow us to do that kind
of thing.”
c “Let’s talk about this calmly and I will explain why
assisted suicide is appropriate in this case.”
d “He’s lived a long and productive life.”
ANS: A
Forgoing life-sustaining treatments is not the same as active euthanasia or assisted suicide Killing is an action causing another’s death, whereas allowing dying is avoiding any
intervention that interferes with a natural death following illness or trauma
DIF: Cognitive Level: Application REF: 107
OBJ: Nursing Process: Implementation TOP: End-of-Life Care
MSC: NCLEX: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Management of Care
5 To forestall any unwanted resuscitation after life-sustaining treatments have been withdrawn, the nurse should make sure that:
a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders are written before
discontinuation of the treatments
Trang 5b the family is not allowed to visit until the death occurs
c DNR orders are written as soon as possible after the
discontinuation of the treatments
d the change-of-shift report includes the information that
the patient is not to be resuscitated
ANS: A
DNR orders should be written before withdrawal of life support; this will prevent any unfortunate errors in unwanted resuscitation during the time period between initiation
of withdrawal and the actual death
DIF: Cognitive Level: Application REF: 108
OBJ: Nursing Process: Implementation TOP: End-of-Life Care
MSC: NCLEX: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Management of Care
6 In approaching the family about decisions related to withholding or
withdrawing life-sustaining treatments, the nurse should determine what the:
a family wants for the patient
b patient’s religious beliefs would indicate should be done
c patient would want to have done
Trang 6d staff has determined is the best outcome for the patient
ANS: C
The question is not, “What do you want to do about (patient’s name)?” but rather,
“What would (patient’s name) want if he/she knew he/she was in this situation?”
DIF: Cognitive Level: Application REF: 107
OBJ: Nursing Process: Implementation TOP: End-of-Life Care
MSC: NCLEX: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Management of Care
7 After making the decision to discontinue life-sustaining measures for their mother, the family asks the nurse what to expect The nurse explains:
a “The first thing we will do is stop the intravenous
infusions, because they are not doing any good.”
b “Dialysis will be discontinued; if your mother has
difficulty breathing, we can help her feel more
comfortable with medications.”
c “We will continue to do laboratory tests, but we will stop
the diagnostic procedures.”
d “We will stop everything this afternoon You may
spend as much time with her as you like after that.”
Trang 7ANS: B
If a series of interventions is to be withdrawn, usually dialysis is discontinued first, along with diagnostic procedures and vasopressors Next, intravenous fluids, monitoring, laboratory tests, and antibiotics are stopped Withdrawal of dialysis may cause dyspnea from volume overload, which may necessitate the use of opioids or benzodiazepines
DIF: Cognitive Level: Application REF: 109
OBJ: Nursing Process: Implementation TOP: End-of-Life Care
MSC: NCLEX: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Management of Care
8 A patient has received a diagnosis of inoperable cancer of the brain In an ideal situation, palliative care will:
a begin in several months when the patient decides to
give up on all treatment
b progress through the patient’s death and the
family’s bereavement
c commence when the patient’s pain
becomes unmanageable
d start when the patient requests it and end at death
ANS: B
Palliative care ideally begins at the time of diagnosis of a life-threatening illness and continues through cure or until death and into the family’s bereavement period
Trang 8DIF: Cognitive Level: Application REF: 109
OBJ: Nursing Process: Implementation TOP: End-of-Life Care
MSC: NCLEX: Psychosocial Integrity
9 Recognizing that the patient is dying, the nurse teaches the family what to expect as death nears This will include the possibility of:
a respiratory difficulty
b increased hunger
c excessive thirst
d decreased swelling in the lower extremities
ANS: A
Symptom assessment is necessary for the patient who is near death and should include assessment for dyspnea, nausea and vomiting, edema and pulmonary edema, anxiety and delirium, metabolic derangements, skin integrity, and anemia and hemorrhage
DIF: Cognitive Level: Comprehension REF: 110
OBJ: Nursing Process: Assessment TOP: End-of-Life Care
MSC: NCLEX: Psychosocial Integrity
Trang 910 The patient’s husband is very upset because his wife, who is near death, has dyspnea and restlessness The nurse explains to him that there are some ways
to decrease her discomfort, including:
a respiratory therapy treatments
b opioid medications given as needed
c incentive spirometry
d increased hydration
ANS: B
Dyspnea is best managed with close evaluation of the patient and the use of opioids, sedatives, and nonpharmacological interventions (oxygen, positioning, and increased ambient air flow)
DIF: Cognitive Level: Application REF: 110
OBJ: Nursing Process: Implementation TOP: End-of-Life Care
MSC: NCLEX: Client Need: Physiological Integrity: Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies
11 The patient’s wife is very concerned about the fact that her dying husband is vomiting Because he has not had any food in several days, this is confusing
to her The nurse explains to her:
Trang 10a “The nausea may be due to the medication he is taking
We should discontinue it for a while and see if that
helps.”
b “As the body shuts down, the organ systems slow
their work, and sometimes this causes nausea and
vomiting due to intestinal obstruction.”
c “There is no medication he can be given that will
make him feel better at this point.”
d “Would you like to fix him a nice hot bowl of soup
and see if that helps any?”
ANS: B
Nausea and vomiting are common and should be treated with antiemetics The cause of nausea and vomiting may be intestinal obstruction Treatment for decompression may
be uncomfortable in dying patients, so its use should be weighed by considering the benefit/burden ratio
DIF: Cognitive Level: Analysis REF: 110
OBJ: Nursing Process: Analysis TOP: End-of-Life Care
MSC: NCLEX: Client Need: Physiological Integrity—Basic Care and Comfort
12 The family frequently encourages the dying patient to drink fluids, including tea, soup, and milkshakes They believe that this will help The nurse would explain
to them:
Trang 11a “This is an excellent idea I’m so glad that you are willing
to do this.”
b “You must only offer liquids at room temperature, so
there is no stress to the body from a hot or cold stimulus.”
c “As the kidneys slow down, giving fluids can result
in increased swelling in the extremities and even in
the lungs.”
d “We must keep the patient hydrated to flush out
toxins related to the process of organ failure.”
ANS: C
The consumption of fluids may contribute to the edema when kidney function is impaired and body functions are slowing
DIF: Cognitive Level: Analysis REF: 110
OBJ: Nursing Process: Analysis TOP: End-of-Life Care
MSC: NCLEX: Client Need: Physiological Integrity—Basic Care and Comfort
13 Which of the following children would be excluded from visiting a dying
patient in the critical care unit?
a Four-year-old who wants to see her grandmother
Trang 12b Seven-year-old who has been exposed to chickenpox at
school
c Eleven-year-old who is “emotional”
d Twenty-five-year-old with moderate mental retardation
ANS: B
Children, unless they represent a significant source of infection, should be able to say good-bye, but they may need adult assistance in understanding the situation
DIF: Cognitive Level: Comprehension REF: 113
OBJ: Nursing Process: Evaluation TOP: End-of-Life Care
MSC: NCLEX: Client Need: Psychosocial Integrity—Basic Care and Comfort
14 Which of the following statements about comfort care is accurate?
a Withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining treatment
are distinctly different in the eyes of the legal community
b Each procedure should be evaluated for its effect on the
patient’s comfort before being implemented
c Only the patient can determine what constitutes
comfort care for him or her
Trang 13d Withdrawing life-sustaining treatments is
considered euthanasia in most states
ANS: B
The goal of comfort care is to provide only those treatments that do not cause pain
or other discomfort to the patient
DIF: Cognitive Level: Comprehension REF: 111
OBJ: Nursing Process: Implementation TOP: End-of-Life Care
MSC: NCLEX: Psychosocial Integrity