A client's family tells the nurse that their cultural and ethnic beliefs will not allow their father's body to be left alone at any time before burial

Question

The mortuary is unable to pick up the body until morning because of a terrible storm that prohibits proper transportation. The policy of the hospital is that all bodies must be stored in the hospital morgue until pickup of the body is possible. Based on the influence of culture and ethnic beliefs of the family, what is the best way for the nurse to resolve this situation? A) Explain the policy of the hospital to the family members and arrange to have the body moved to the morgue.
B) Contact the nursing supervisor to find out if there is some other way to resolve the issue.
C) Contact the client's primary care provider to talk to the family about the situation.
D) Locate an unoccupied room and move the deceased client to the room with someone to stay with the body.

Answer 1

B
Feedback:
When possible, a modification of agency policy that demonstrates respect for individual culture and ethnic beliefs is important to explore. The primary care provider is unable to modify the implementation of stated agency policies. Utilizing an empty room with an employee to sit with the deceased is not an appropriate option.