A patient with terminal cancer has just died. Which actions should the nurse take during the immediate postmortem period? (Select all that apply.)
a. Bathe and dress the patient.
b. Ask the family if they want the patient's face covered or uncovered.
c. Remove all tubes, medical supplies, and equipment from the bedside.
d. Provide the family a place away from the patient's room to talk and grieve.
e. Notify the physician with the patient's time of death per institutional policy.
f. Recommend that the family donate the patient's organs as a way to find meaning from the death.
ANS: A, B, C, E
After death, the nurse will provide postmortem care. First, remove the tubes, medical supplies, and equipment. Bathing and dressing the patient and making him or her look presentable for the family shows respect. D. Allow the family time with the patient; do not remove the body until they are ready. Contacting the physician and funeral home are carried out according to institutional policy. Covering or uncovering the face at removal should be done according to the family's wishes. F. Information about organ donation should be provided according to agency policy, but the nurse should not make recommendations.
You might also like to view...
Order the depressive disorders and their predominant affective symptoms according to level of severity
1. ________ Dysthymic disorder (pessimistic outlook, low self-esteem) 2. ________ Grief (feelings of anger, anxiety, guilt, helplessness) 3. ________ Major depressive episode (despair, worthlessness, flat affect, apathy, anhedonia) 4. ________ Transient depression (sadness, dejection, feeling downhearted, having "the blues")
A client voices that he feels "anxious, but excited" about an upcoming job interview. The psychiatric nurse correctly assesses the client as being in the stress state of:
a. impoverishment b. arousal c. adaptive equilibrium d. maladaptive equilibrium
Write twenty-four thousandths of a liter using the correct notation: ________
Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).
The nurse is initiating IV therapy for an adult client who requires IV fluid infusion for 2–3 days and might require blood administration. What should the nurse choose as the best option for IV catheterization?
1. Butterfly 2. Huber needle 3. Angiocatheter 4. Implantable venous access device