A nurse is providing palliative care to a client who is receiving hospice care and is approaching death. Which of the following actions should the nurse take? (Select all that apply.)
Do not force the client to stay awake
Administer pain medication by rectal or transdermal when client can no longer swallow
Position the client on her side
Offer to turn and reposition client every 2 hours
Correct Answer : A,B,C,D
A. Do not force the client to stay awake: Palliative care focuses on providing comfort and dignity to the patient, and forcing the client to stay awake would not align with this goal. Allowing the client to rest as needed is essential for maintaining comfort during the end-of-life process.
B. Administer pain medication by rectal or transdermal when client can no longer swallow: As the client approaches death, they may lose the ability to swallow oral medications. Administering pain medication rectally or via transdermal patches ensures that the client continues to receive adequate pain relief even when oral intake is no longer possible.
C. Position the client on her side: Positioning the client on her side helps prevent aspiration if there is vomiting and promotes comfort by reducing pressure on bony prominences. This position also facilitates effective airway management and can help alleviate respiratory distress.
D. Offer to turn and reposition client every 2 hours: Turning and repositioning can help prevent pressure ulcers and maintain skin integrity, during the terminal stage of illness. The frequency of turning and repositioning may be adjusted based on the client's comfort and clinical condition.
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Related Questions
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
A. Sheriff: The sheriff is responsible for enforcing law and order within a specific jurisdiction and is not typically involved in investigating deaths unless there is suspected criminal activity.
B. Board of death: There is no standard entity known as the "Board of death" in the context of death investigations.
C. Coroner: The coroner is a public official responsible for investigating and determining the cause of deaths that occur under sudden, unexpected, suspicious, or unexplained circumstances. The coroner may conduct autopsies or order further investigations to ascertain the cause and manner of death.
D. Pathologist: A pathologist is a medical professional specializing in the study of disease processes through the examination of tissues and body fluids. While a pathologist may be involved in conducting autopsies and analyzing specimens, they typically work under the direction of the coroner or medical examiner in cases of suspicious deaths.
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
A. Administering morphine can help decrease pain associated with dyspnea, but the primary goal in this scenario is to address the dyspnea itself rather than pain specifically.
B. While morphine can help dry up secretions to some extent, its primary action in this context is to alleviate dyspnea by reducing respiratory effort and rate.
C. Morphine is commonly used in palliative care to relieve dyspnea by depressing the respiratory center in the brain, leading to a decrease in respiratory rate and effort. This helps alleviate the sensation of breathlessness and discomfort associated with dyspnea.
D. Administering morphine in small doses for dyspnea relief is not intended to hasten death but rather to provide comfort and relief from distressing symptoms at the end of life. The goal is to improve quality of life rather than hastening death.
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