Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Test Bank
1. The nurse is caring for a patient who has 20-second periods of apnea followed by periods of
deep and rapid breathing. The nurse documents this finding as
a. death-rattle respirations.
b. agonal breathing.
c. apneustic breathing.
d. Cheyne-Stokes respiration.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Cheyne-Stokes respirations are characterized by periods of apnea alternating with
deep and rapid breaths. The death rattle is caused by accumulation of mucus in the airways,
causing wet-sounding respirations. Agonal breathing has a very slow and irregular rate and
rhythm. Apneustic respirations are irregular and gasping.
2. A nursing student who is caring for a dying patient asks the nurse, “How will we know when
the patient has died?” The nurse explains that the patient will be considered legally dead
when
a. the patient is flaccid and unresponsive.
b. respiratory efforts cease and no apical pulse is audible.
c. the patient is comatose, apneic, and without brainstem reflexes.
d. CPR is ineffective in restoring heartbeat.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The diagnosis of death is based on brain death; therefore, death has occurred when
the patient has irreversible loss of all brain functions, including brainstem functions that control
respirations and brainstem reflexes. The other descriptions describe other clinical manifestations
associated with death but are insufficient to declare a patient legally dead.
3. A patient near death is manifesting a decrease in all body system functions except for a heart
rate of 124 and a respiratory rate of 28. The nurse explains to the family that these symptoms
a. will continue to increase until death finally occurs.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: An increase in heart and respiratory rate may occur prior to the slowing of these
functions in the dying patient. Heart and respiratory rate typically slow as the patient progresses
further toward death. In a dying patient, high respiratory and pulse rates do not indicate
improvement and it would be inappropriate for the nurse to indicate this to the family. The
changes in pulse and respirations are not reflex responses.
4. A patient who has been diagnosed with metastatic malignant melanoma and has a poor
prognosis plans an extensive trip around the country “to finally see some of the places I’ve
always wanted to visit and to see some family I haven’t seen in years.” The nurse recognizes
that the patient is manifesting the psychosocial response of
a. restlessness.
b. saying goodbye.
c. unfinished business.
d. altered decision making.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The patient’s statement indicates that there are some things that he or she would like
to accomplish before dying. Restlessness is frequently a behavior associated with the patient’s
inability to express needs, but this patient seems very clear in communicating needs. There is no
clear indication that the patient is planning to saying good-bye to these relatives. The patient’s
decision making is appropriate.
5. A family member of a patient who is being admitted with nausea tells the nurse that the
patient was diagnosed 2 months ago with pancreatic cancer but has not kept appointments
with the doctor and has continued daily activities unchanged from before the diagnosis.
When assessing the patient, the nurse will expect that the patient
a. will be very angry about the cancer diagnosis.
b. will not mention anything about pancreatic cancer.
c. may express despair about the cancer diagnosis.
d. may ask about options for treatment of the cancer.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The patient’s behaviors have been consistent with the denial, shock and disbelief, and
avoidance stages described by various authors, and not mentioning cancer is consistent with this
stage of grief. Anger, despair, and asking about treatment options are more consistent with other
stages of grief such as anger, depression, and acceptance.
6. The wife of a patient with terminal lung cancer visits daily and cheerfully talks with the
patient about vacation plans for the next year. When asked by the nurse how she is feeling,
she says, “I’m busy at work, but otherwise things are fine.” An appropriate nursing diagnosis
for the wife is
a. caregiver role strain related to feeling overwhelmed.
b. disabled family coping related to lack of grieving.
c. anxiety related to complicated grieving process.
d. hopelessness related to knowledge deficit about cancer.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The wife’s behavior and statements indicate the presence of absent grief, which may
lead to impaired adjustment as the patient progresses toward death. The wife does not appear to
feel overwhelmed or anxious. The evidence does not support hopelessness as a problem for the
patient’s wife.
7. As the nurse admits a patient with AIDS who has cryptococcal meningitis, the patient tells
the nurse, “If my heart or breathing stop, I do not want to be resuscitated.” The nurse should
a. document the request in the patient’s record and place a DNR notation in the care
plan.
b. ask the patient if these wishes have been discussed with the admitting health care
provider.
c. inform the patient that a notarized advance directive must be included in the record
or resuscitation must be performed.
d. advise the patient to designate a person to make health care decisions when the
patient is not able to make them independently.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: A health care provider’s order should be written describing which actions nurses
should take if the patient requires CPR, but the primary right to decide belongs to the patient or
family. The nurse should document the patient’s request but does not have the authority to place
the DNR order in the care plan. A notarized advance directive is not needed to establish the
patient’s wishes. The patient may need a durable power of attorney for health care (or the
equivalent), but this does not address the patient’s current concern with possible resuscitation.
8. A patient who is very close to death is very restless and repeats, “I am not ready to die.” The
most appropriate intervention by the nurse is to
a. call the hospital chaplain to come and visit or pray with the patient.
b. sit at the bedside and ask if there is anything the patient needs.
c. inform the patient that everything possible is being done to delay death.
d. ask the patient what can be done to assist with the acceptance of death.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Staying at the bedside and listening allows the patient to discuss any unresolved
issues that might be concerning him or her. Asking the patient’s own spiritual advisor to visit is
appropriate, but the hospital chaplain might not be appropriate to meet the patient’s needs.
Telling the patient that everything is being done or asking the patient how the nurse can help
with the acceptance of death may not address the patient’s needs for psychosocial support.
9. Which of these patients is most appropriate for the nurse to refer to hospice care?
a. A 28-year-old with AIDS-related dementia who needs palliative care and pain
management
b. A 56-year-old with advanced liver failure whose family members can no longer
care for him or her at home
c. 60-year-old with lymphoma whose children are unable to discuss issues related to
dying
d. A 72-year-old with chronic severe pain as a result of spinal arthritis and vertebral
collapse
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Hospice is designed to provide palliative care such as symptom management and
pain control for patients at the end of life. Patients who require more care than the family can
provide, whose families are unable to discuss important issues related to dying, or who have
severe pain are candidates for other nursing services but are not appropriate hospice patients.
10. A patient in a hospice program is experiencing continuous, increasing amounts of pain. The
nurse caring for the patient plans the scheduling of opioid pain medications to provide
a. prn doses of medication whenever the patient requests.
b. around-the-clock routine administration of analgesics.
c. enough pain medication to keep the patient sedated and unaware of stimuli.
d. analgesic doses that provide pain control without decreasing respiratory rate.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence indicate that the goal of pain
management in a terminally ill patient is adequate pain relief even if the effect of pain
medications could hasten death. Administration of analgesics on a prn basis will not provide the
consistent level of analgesia the patient needs. Patients usually do not require so much pain
medication that they are oversedated and unaware of stimuli. Adequate pain relief may require a
dosage that will result in a decrease in respiratory rate.
11. When caring for a patient with lung cancer in a home hospice program, it is important for the
nurse to
a. accomplish a thorough head-to-toe assessment at least weekly.
b. educate the patient about the purpose of chemotherapy and radiation.
c. complete a detailed intake assessment, including cancer risk factors.
d. encourage the patient to discuss past life events and their meaning.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The role of the hospice nurse includes assisting the patient with the important end-of
life task of finding meaning in the patient’s life. The assessment is generally limited to essential
data and a thorough weekly head-to-toe assessment; therefore, a detailed intake assessment is not
needed and may tire the patient unnecessarily. Patients admitted to hospice forego curative
treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation for lung cancer.
12. A hospice nurse who has become very close to a terminally ill patient and family is present in
the home when the patient dies. The family members are crying softly, and the nurse also
feels like crying. The nurse recognizes that
a. it is acceptable and healthy to cry with the family during this phase of the grief
process.
b. personal expression of sorrow and loss is appropriate to share with peers rather
than burdening the patient’s family.
c. it would be unprofessional to cry at this time when the family’s feelings need to be
addressed.
d. the family should be allowed to grieve together at this time and the nurse’s
presence will be felt as invasive to the family.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: It is appropriate for the nurse to cry and express sadness in other ways when a patient
dies, and the family is likely to feel that this is therapeutic. It is no longer considered
unprofessional to express grief openly to patients and families. In addition, appropriately
expressed grief will not be considered a burden or invasive to the family members.
13. A patient who has a regularly scheduled annual physical examination tells the nurse, “My
mother died 6 months ago and I just can’t seem to get over it. I still think about her every
day.” Which nursing diagnosis is most appropriate for this patient?
a. Complicated grieving related to unresolved issues
b. Chronic sorrow related to ongoing distress about loss of mother
c. Risk-prone health behavior related to inability to resolve grief
d. Anxiety related to lack of knowledge about normal grieving
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The patient should be reassured that grieving activities such as frequent thoughts
about the deceased are considered normal during the first year after a death. The other nursing
diagnoses imply that the patient’s grief is unusual or pathologic, which is not the case.
14. The family member of a dying patient tells the nurse, “I think mother needs an
antidepressant. She has always been so outgoing, but now she seems really withdrawn and
disinterested in life.” Which response by the nurse is most appropriate?
a. “It is likely that she is depressed, so I will ask the doctor for an antidepressant
order.”
b. “Withdrawal may sometimes be a normal response when preparing to leave life.”
c. “It will be important for you to stimulate your mother as she gets closer to dying.”
d. “Your mother is becoming tired, and you may need to cut back your visits for
now.”
Correct Answer: B