A home health nurse is instructing a client with diabetes mellitus on the correct disposal of insulin syringes. Which statement by the client indicates they have understood the teaching?

Choice A rationale

Advance directives do not decrease the potential for receiving palliative care. In fact, they can help ensure that a person’s wishes for end-of-life care, including the desire for palliative care, are respected.

Choice B rationale

While advance directives can help uphold the ethical principle of veracity by ensuring that a person’s true wishes for their care are known and respected, this is not their primary purpose. The main purpose of advance directives is to guide decision-making when a person is unable to make or communicate their own healthcare decisions.

Choice C rationale

This statement accurately reflects the purpose of advance directives. Advance directives ease the difficult decisions faced by those involved in a person’s care by providing clear guidance on the person’s wishes for their healthcare.

Choice D rationale

This statement is not accurate. Advance directives do not detail a doctor’s decisions about a person’s end-of-life care. Instead, they provide guidance on the person’s own wishes for their care.

Choice A rationale

Asking the client to describe how they are feeling today is an important part of the assessment. However, when dealing with a client who is managing depression, the nurse’s first priority should be to ensure the safety of the client.

Choice B rationale

Asking if the client is having any thoughts about hurting themselves is the first question the nurse should ask. This is because safety is always the top priority, and clients dealing with depression may be at risk for self-harm or suicide.

Choice C rationale

While it’s important to understand what makes the client feel less depressed, this question is not as immediately critical as assessing for potential self-harm or suicide risk.

Choice D rationale

Understanding the client’s support system is an important part of the assessment, but it is not the first priority. The nurse’s initial focus should be on assessing the client’s immediate safety and mental health status.