Which change would be helpful in assisting nurses to cope with moral distress?
1. Relieving the nurses from service on ethics committees
2. Having unlicensed personnel provide all direct patient care
3. Encouraging free discussion of ethical concerns
4. Increasing compensation for overtime hours worked
3
Rationale: Open communications assists nurses in dealing with moral distress. Allowing nurses to serve on ethics committees gives the group active participation in the issues. Most nurses get into the profession because they like to care for patients, so asking nurses to stop caring for patients and start managing more unlicensed personnel will not decrease distress. While everyone likes to be adequately compensated for work done, simply raising the rate of pay without addressing the causative factors will not have a positive impact on moral distress.
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A son brought his 73-year-old widowed father into the emergency room. The client has congestive heart failure but is under the care of a physician and has been in good health
The son was called in by the fire department after they put out a small cooking fire at the client's home. The firefighters reported that they found the client sitting in a chair mumbling incoherently, unaware of the fire and smoke. The client now appears to be drifting in and out of consciousness and is having problems keeping his attention on any one task. In this situation, the client is probably suffering from: 1. Dementia. 2. Cerebrovascular accident. 3. Delirium. 4. Depression.
The nurse appropriately delegates care to the UAP when she:
a. instructs the UAP to assess the patient's skin during a bath. b. instructs the UAP to reposition the patient using the trapeze. c. instructs the UAP to assess the patient's ability to perform range-of-motion exercises. d. instructs the UAP to notify the health care provider of any changes.
To determine the blood cell formation status of the client, a bone marrow aspiration is performed on the client. Which of the following nursing interventions should be provided to such a client after the test?
A) Administer oral radioactive vitamin B12 to the client. B) Administer a nonradioactive B12 injection. C) Collect urine for 24 to 48 hours after the client receives the nonradioactive B12. D) Support the client during a bone marrow aspiration and monitor the status.
A venous hum heard over the internal jugular vein of a child:
a. usually signifies untreatable illness. b. usually has no pathologic significance. c. usually requires surgical intervention. d. must be monitored until the child is grown.