A charge nurse on a medical-surgical unit is anticipating an emergency response plan following an external disaster in the community. Which of the following current clients should the nurse recommend for early discharge?

Choice A reason: Assuring the client about future pregnancies dismisses her current emotional loss, potentially invalidating grief. Stillbirth triggers complex hormonal and psychological responses, including postpartum depression risk. This approach fails to address immediate emotional needs, hindering the grieving process and emotional recovery in perinatal loss.
Choice B reason: Avoiding discussion of the newborn ignores the client’s need to process her loss. Acknowledging the baby’s existence is critical for healthy mourning, as psychological research shows verbalizing grief aids emotional integration. Silence may suppress coping, prolonging unresolved grief and complicating psychological adjustment post-stillbirth.
Choice C reason: Discouraging friends from seeing the newborn dismisses the client’s need for social support. Communal acknowledgment of loss mitigates isolation, a key factor in grief recovery. This action disrupts psychological coping by limiting social validation, potentially exacerbating feelings of loneliness and hindering emotional healing after stillbirth.
Choice D reason: Offering to take pictures acknowledges the baby’s significance, aiding the client’s grieving process. Photographs serve as tangible memories, supported by psychological research as therapeutic in perinatal loss. This intervention fosters emotional closure, validates the loss, and supports healthy mourning, aligning with compassionate care principles.

Choice A reason: Experiencing delusions can contribute to agitation, but it is not the strongest predictor of violence. Delusions may lead to unpredictable behavior, but past actions are more reliable indicators, so this factor is less definitive, making it incorrect.
Choice B reason: A history of being in prison indicates past legal issues but not necessarily violent behavior. Incarceration alone is not a direct predictor of future violence, so this factor is less reliable than actual violent history, making it incorrect.
Choice C reason: A history of violent behavior is the best predictor of future violence, as past actions strongly correlate with recurrence, per evidence-based risk assessments. This reliable indicator guides safety planning, making it the correct factor to emphasize in teaching.
Choice D reason: Substance use disorder increases impulsivity and aggression risk, but it is less predictive than a documented history of violence. Substance use is a contributing factor, not the strongest indicator, so this is incorrect compared to past behavior.