A nurse is called into the supervisor’s office regarding deteriorating work performance since the loss of a spouse 2 years ago. The nurse begins sobbing and says, “I’m falling apart at home as well.” Which type of grief is the nurse experiencing?
Normal grief
Complicated grief
Prolonged grief
Disenfranchised grief
The Correct Answer is B
Choice A reason: Normal grief involves sadness and adjustment after loss, typically resolving within months. The nurse’s ongoing distress, sobbing, and poor performance 2 years post-loss suggest persistent, impairing grief, beyond normal expectations. This intensity and duration align with complicated grief, making normal grief incorrect.
Choice B reason: Complicated grief involves intense, prolonged symptoms that impair functioning, like the nurse’s deteriorating work and home life 2 years after spousal loss. Sobbing and feeling “falling apart” indicate unresolved grief, disrupting daily life, making this the correct type, as it reflects significant, ongoing emotional distress.
Choice C reason: Prolonged grief is a specific diagnosis with criteria like yearning or preoccupation persisting beyond 6-12 months. While similar, complicated grief is a broader term encompassing the nurse’s functional impairment and emotional collapse, making it more appropriate for the described severity and impact on work and home.
Choice D reason: Disenfranchised grief occurs when loss is not socially acknowledged, like a pet’s death. Spousal loss is recognized, and the nurse’s distress is overt, not hidden. The symptoms align with complicated grief’s intensity and duration, not disenfranchised grief, making this incorrect.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice A reason: Immediate intubation is premature without first reversing opioid-induced respiratory depression with naloxone. Morphine’s rapid onset of lethargy and shallow breathing (7 breaths/min) indicates overdose, reversible by naloxone. Intubation is invasive and reserved for non-responsive cases, risking unnecessary complications when reversal is feasible, delaying targeted treatment in this acute scenario.
Choice B reason: Administering naloxone is the priority for opioid overdose, as evidenced by lethargy and respiratory depression (7 breaths/min) post-morphine. Naloxone, an opioid antagonist, rapidly reverses these life-threatening effects, restoring breathing and consciousness. Prompt administration is critical in older adults, who are more sensitive to opioids, ensuring patient safety and preventing hypoxia or death.
Choice C reason: Observing for opioid tolerance is inappropriate in this acute situation. Lethargy and shallow breathing indicate overdose, not tolerance, requiring immediate naloxone. Monitoring tolerance delays critical intervention, risking prolonged hypoxia, brain damage, or death, especially in an elderly patient with increased opioid sensitivity post-surgery, where respiratory depression is life-threatening.
Choice D reason: Assessing pain level is irrelevant when the patient exhibits opioid overdose symptoms like lethargy and respiratory depression. Pain assessment is secondary to reversing life-threatening respiratory compromise with naloxone. Delaying intervention for pain evaluation risks patient deterioration, as immediate action is needed to restore breathing and stabilize the patient post-morphine administration.
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
Choice A reason: Narcolepsy causes sudden sleep attacks and cataplexy but does not typically disrupt breathing patterns during sleep. It affects sleep-wake regulation, not airway mechanics. This condition is unlikely to cause ineffective breathing, as it lacks the respiratory obstruction linked to the nursing diagnosis.
Choice B reason: Sleep deprivation results from insufficient sleep, leading to fatigue and cognitive issues, but it does not directly cause ineffective breathing patterns. It may exacerbate other conditions, but without airway obstruction, it is not the primary cause of the respiratory diagnosis, making this choice incorrect.
Choice C reason: Insomnia involves difficulty falling or staying asleep, causing fatigue and irritability, but it does not typically affect breathing mechanics. It lacks the airway obstruction or hypoventilation associated with ineffective breathing patterns, making it an unlikely cause for the nursing diagnosis.
Choice D reason: Obstructive sleep apnea causes repeated airway collapse during sleep, leading to hypopnea, apnea, and ineffective breathing patterns. This disrupts oxygenation and ventilation, aligning with the nursing diagnosis. The nurse likely identified symptoms like snoring or pauses in breathing, making this the correct condition to monitor.
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