The nurse planning the care for a hospitalized client who has experienced spousal abuse resulting in several fractures would include:

Question

1. Offer to contact outpatient services if the client promises not to return home after discharge.
2. Make it clear to the spouse that the couple needs to see a therapist.
3. Encourage the client to take charge of the situation.
4. Assist the client to devise a safety or escape plan.

Answer 1

4. Assist the client to devise a safety or escape plan.

Rationale:
Clients who have been victimized by their partners should have a safety plan. This has the highest priority as their life is in danger. The client has no control over the partner, and suggesting that the couple needs to see a therapist may escalate the situation. Encouraging the client to take charge is too general a statement to be helpful; the client needs specific tools to develop a safety plan. It may not be safe and feasible for the client to leave the situation right away, and resources should not be withheld if a client is unable to promise not to return home.