A client has asked the nurse to join her while she prays for an improvement in her mental health problem and for restoration of some of the fractured relationships in her life

Question

What principle should guide the nurse's response to the client's request?
A) Praying with a client is an integral part of a comprehensive and multidisciplinary plan of care.
B) The nurse should only pray with the client if the client agrees to keep the content of the prayers confidential.
C) Praying with a client is sometimes appropriate but must be approached carefully to avoid the appearance of coercion.
D) Praying with a client is beyond the scope of the psychiatric–mental health nurse.

Answer 1

Ans: C
Feedback:
Whether nurses should join clients in prayer if asked is a personal choice. Experts
counsel that prayer as an adjunct to appropriate treatment might seem innocuous but that praying with clients could create a new source of liability if clients see themselves as being influenced unduly by practitioners.