The nurse is caring for a patient in hospice. The nurse notes that the patient is getting adequate care, but the spouse is not sleeping well. The nurse also assesses the need for better family nutrition and meals assistance

Question

The nurse discusses these needs with the patient and family and develops a plan of care with them using community resources. Which approach is the nurse using?
a. Family as context
b. Family as patient
c. Family as system
d. Family as caregiver

Answer 1

ANS: C
When you care for the family as a system, you are caring for each family member (family as context) and the family unit (family as patient), using all available environmental, social, psychological, and community resources. In family as context, the primary focus is on the health of an individual member. In family as patient, family processes and relationships are the primary focus. Family as caregiver is not an approach to family-focused nursing but is a term used to describe a family member caring for another family member.