Despite working in a highly stressful nursing unit and accepting additional shifts, a new nurse has a strategy to prevent burnout. Which strategy will be best for the nurse to use?

Choice A reason: While hospice provides pain management, this is not the primary criterion. Many patients receive pain management outside hospice. The defining factor is a prognosis of less than 6 months, making this choice incomplete and less accurate for explaining hospice eligibility.

Choice B reason: Having a terminal illness like cancer is relevant, but not all terminal patients qualify for hospice. The key criterion is a life expectancy of 6 months or less, as determined by a physician. This choice is too broad and lacks specificity, making it incorrect.

Choice C reason: An advance directive is not required for hospice eligibility, though it may guide care decisions. Hospice focuses on prognosis, not legal documentation. This criterion is irrelevant to qualifying for hospice services, making it an incorrect choice for the nurse to share.

Choice D reason: Hospice care is for patients with a prognosis of 6 months or less, as certified by a physician. This criterion, per Medicare and hospice guidelines, defines eligibility for terminal cancer patients, ensuring comprehensive end-of-life care. This is the most accurate information for the nurse to share.

Choice A reason: Knowing involves understanding the patient’s experiences and needs, not actively forming a care plan together. Enabling focuses on empowering the patient through collaboration, as seen here. Assuming knowing risks underemphasizing the patient’s active role, potentially limiting empowerment and self-efficacy critical for colostomy care acceptance and management.

Choice B reason: Doing for involves performing tasks for the patient, not collaborating on a plan, as with enabling. The nurse’s joint planning empowers the patient to manage colostomy care. Assuming doing for overlooks patient autonomy, risking dependency and reduced confidence in self-care, critical for long-term colostomy management and adaptation.

Choice C reason: Enabling, per Swanson’s caring theory, involves facilitating the patient’s capacity to manage their care through collaboration, as seen in forming a colostomy care plan together. This empowers the patient, fostering confidence and acceptance. Enabling supports self-efficacy, critical for psychological adjustment and practical management of a new colostomy, enhancing patient outcomes.

Choice D reason: Maintaining belief sustains hope and values but doesn’t involve collaborative planning, unlike enabling. The nurse’s focus is empowering practical colostomy care, not spiritual support. Assuming maintaining belief misaligns with the action, potentially neglecting the patient’s need for active involvement in learning and adapting to colostomy self-care.