The nurse provides postmortem care for an unfamiliar patient. Which approach should the nurse use to best care for the body after death?

Question

a. Ask about the patient's cultural or spiritual practices.
b. Remove tubes and lines before they be-come difficult to remove.
c. Cover the patient and transfer the body to the morgue.
d. Remove the old patient identification (ID) band and apply a new one.

Answer 1

A
To best prepare the patient's body after death, the nurse should exercise cultural sensitivity by inquiring about cultural or spiritual practices that the patient or family desires and implementing the practices to the best of the nurse's ability. If family members are present, they often assume the responsibility for these rituals. Depending on the circumstances surrounding the death and on state law, the nurse may be required to leave all equipment and supplies in place. The nurse must check before removing any tubes or lines. He or she implements proper postmortem care for any patient, which includes much more than covering the patient with a sheet. The nurse leaves the original patient ID band to ensure patient identification in the morgue. The postmortem kit usually contains additional tags for patient identification.