A patient who is terminally ill is experiencing extreme pain and suffering. The patient says, If I were an animal, you would put me out of this misery.
Which intervention would the nurse be ethically correct in providing as a last-resort option for this patient? 1. Tell the patient how much pain medication would be needed to cause death.
2. Administer pain medication with the intention of causing respiratory arrest.
3. Administer sedative medications sufficient to cause unconsciousness.
4. Encourage the patient to stop eating and drinking.
The nurse has recently moved to a state that has fully enacted a Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) program. How will this affect the nurse's practice?
1. It will have little effect since the program was developed for emergency medical service providers.
2. The program will provide research regarding best practice in end-of-life care for all health care providers, including nurses.
3. The document will provide insight into the patient's preferences for end-of-life care.
4. The document will provide the name of the person holding the patient's durable power of attorney.
The nurse determines that an adult patient has signed a statutory living will, also known as a natural death act. What does this mean to the nurse?
1. That the health care providers who abide by the document cannot be charged with criminal negligence associated with the patient's death.
2. The document is legally binding and all health care providers will abide by its provisions.
3. The directions of the document will be followed, even if the patient makes a verbal request that directly contradicts the provisions of the document.
4. In order to revoke the document, the patient must sign a subsequent living will.
The patient who has tested positive for a gene associated with breast cancer is concerned that this finding will affect her ability to get a government job position for which she has applied. How should the nurse respond to this concern?
1. Surely there would be no way for the personnel department to find out that information.
2. There is a federal law that prohibits genetic information from being used in employment decisions.
3. Worrying about these concerns is not good for your health.
4. It should be a problem only if you intend to use the insurance plan.
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