Understanding End-of-Life Care and Palliative Care

A nurse is caring for a client who has terminal cancer and is receiving palliative care at home. The client's spouse asks the nurse what palliative care means. Which of the following responses should the nurse make?

A) "Palliative care is a type of care that focuses on relieving your loved one's pain and symptoms, as well as providing emotional and spiritual support for both of you."

B) "Palliative care is a type of care that helps your loved one prepare for death by withdrawing any life-sustaining treatments and medications."

C) "Palliative care is a type of care that aims to cure your loved one's cancer by using aggressive treatments and interventions."

D) "Palliative care is a type of care that involves hospice services and requires your loved one to have a life expectancy of six months or less."

A client who has advanced heart failure is admitted to the hospital for symptom management. The client tells the nurse that he does not want any resuscitation measures if his heart stops. Which of the following actions should the nurse take?

A) Respect the client's wishes and document them in the medical record.

B) Inform the client that he needs to have a written advance directive to refuse resuscitation.

C) Encourage the client to reconsider his decision and discuss the benefits of resuscitation.

D) Notify the health care provider and request a referral to a palliative care team.

A nurse is providing education to a group of nursing students about end-of-life care. Which of the following statements by a nursing student indicates an understanding of the teaching?

A client who has a terminal illness and is receiving hospice care at home has a prescription for morphine sulfate 10 mg PO every 4 hr PRN for pain. The client's family member tells the nurse that the client is experiencing increased pain and asks if he can give him more morphine.

Which of the following responses should the nurse make?

A client who has a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order is admitted to the hospital for pneumonia. The client's condition deteriorates and he becomes unresponsive. The nurse notices that his heart rate is dropping and his blood pressure is low.

Which of the following actions should the nurse take?