A nurse has been caring for a gunshot victim who has just died. Various family and friends are present. One of the visitors privately discloses to the nurse that she and the client were having an illicit affair. Which of the following is the best action by the nurse after learning of this relationship?
- A. Give the name of a clergy to the visitor and suggest she contact him for support
- B. Encourage the visitor to ask for support from the friends who are present
- C. Ignore the information about the affair and tend to the family
- D. Privately offer support to the visitor who was having the affair with the client
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Offering private support acknowledges the visitor's disenfranchised grief, which lacks public recognition due to the nature of the relationship.
You may also like to solve these questions
A client with terminal cancer has been told he has 3 or 4 months to live. Which of the following would indicate to the nurse that further interventions are needed?
- A. The client says he wants to live life to the fullest.
- B. The client hopes for a peaceful and dignified death.
- C. The client is reviewing his life and talking about death.
- D. The client says he is well and is making future plans.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Making future plans despite a terminal prognosis suggests denial, indicating a need for further interventions to address grief.
The nurse is working with a client who lost her youngest child 2 months ago. When the nurse approaches, the client yells, 'I don't want to talk to you. You have no idea what it's like to lose a child!' The nurse bases her response to the client on the understanding of which of the following?
- A. Hostility is a common behavioral response to grief.
- B. It is too soon after the loss to empathize with the client.
- C. Personality traits such as aggressiveness are exaggerated during the grief process.
- D. The nurse may have nonverbally indicated a judgmental attitude toward the client.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Hostility, as shown by the client's yelling, is a common behavioral response to the anger and frustration experienced during grief.
A woman has just been served divorce papers from her husband. She has no financial resources and little social support. She states, 'He's not really leaving. He'll be back.' The most appropriate response by the nurse would be which of the following?
- A. Has he done this before?
- B. I'll call social services and get you signed up for financial assistance.
- C. You have to face reality. Here are the papers.
- D. How is this affecting you right now?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Encouraging the client to express how the situation affects her helps shift from denial to conscious coping.
The nurse is conducting a history and physical exam on a client who is grieving the unwanted loss of a marriage by divorce. Which of the following physical symptoms of grief would the nurse most likely expect to detect in the history?
- A. Headaches
- B. Insomnia
- C. Weight loss
- D. GI upset
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Insomnia is among the most frequent and persistent physical symptoms associated with bereavement.
A couple came to the emergency department with their 5-month-old son. He was pronounced dead of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). In the next day or two, it will be important for this couple to
- A. accept that they could do nothing to prevent this death.
- B. delay the grieving process until they are ready to cope.
- C. minimize their discussion of the death with others.
- D. plan funeral arrangements for their son.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Planning funeral arrangements is an important step in beginning the grieving process through outward mourning.
Nokea