A patient has a living will and gives it to the nurse to follow. The patient says, "Do not tell my family about the living will." Which of these actions should the nurse take?
a. Encourage the patient to discuss the living will with the family.
b. Assure the patient that the nurse will not tell anyone.
c. Send a copy of the living will to medical records.
d. Return the living will to the patient until the family is informed.
ANS: A
The second step in the ethical decision-making model is to clarify the values of all the participants involved in a patient's care. This would include the patient's family, and it is best that the patient discusses this with the family. The other options do not support this clarification or ensure that the patient's wishes will be known or followed if the living will is not placed in the patient's chart.
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