Palliative Care – NCLEX questions with correct answers
An 80-year-old patient is receiving palliative care for heart failure. What are the primary purposes of her receiving palliative care (select all that apply)?
A. Improve her quality of life.
B. Assess her coping ability with disease.
C. Have time to teach patient and family about disease.
D. Focus on reducing the severity of disease symptoms.
E. Provide care that the family is unwilling or unable to give. CORRECT ANSWER A. Improve her quality of life.
D. Focus on reducing the severity of disease symptoms.
The focus of palliative care is to reduce the severity of disease symptoms. The goals of palliative care are to prevent and relieve suffering and to improve quality of life for patients with serious, life-limiting illnesses.
The home health nurse visits a 40-year-old breast cancer patient with metastatic breast cancer who is receiving palliative care. The patient is experiencing pain at a level of 7 (on a 10-point scale). In prioritizing activities for the visit, you would do which of the following first?
A. Auscultate for breath sounds.
B. Administer prn pain medication.
C. Check pressure points for skin breakdown.
D. Ask family members about patient's dietary intake. CORRECT ANSWER B. Administer PRN pain medication.
Meeting the patient's physiologic and safety needs is the priority. Physical care focuses on the needs for oxygen, nutrition, pain relief, mobility, elimination, and skin care. The patient is not experiencing oxygenation problems; the priority is to treat the severe pain with pain medication. During admission of a patient diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer, you assess for which of the following as a key indicator of clinical depression related to terminal illness?
A. Frustration with pain
B. Anorexia and nausea
C. Feelings of hopelessness
D. Inability to carry out activities of daily living CORRECT ANSWER C. Feelings
of hopelessness
Feelings of hopelessness are likely in a patient with a terminal illness who has clinical depression. This can be attributed to lack of control over the disease process or outcome. You should assess for depression routinely when working with patients with a terminal illness.
You are visiting with the wife of a patient who is having difficulty making the transition to palliative care for her dying husband. What is the most desirable outcome for the couple?
A. They express hope for a cure.
B. They comply with treatment options.
C. They set additional goals for the future.
D. They acknowledge the symptoms and prognosis. CORRECT ANSWER D. They acknowledge the symptoms and prognosis.
The grief experience for the caregiver of the patient with a chronic illness often begins long before the death. This is called anticipatory grief. Acceptance of the expected loss is associated with more positive outcomes.
A patient has been receiving palliative care for the past several weeks in light of her worsening condition after a series of strokes. The caregiver has rung the call bell, stating that the patient "stops breathing for a while, then breathes fast and hard, and then stops again." You recognize that the patient is experiencing A. Apnea
B. Bradypnea
C. Death rattle
D. Cheyne-Stokes respirations CORRECT ANSWER D. Cheyne-Stokes respirations
Cheyne-Stokes respirations are a pattern of breathing characterized by alternating periods of apnea and deep, rapid breathing. This type of breathing is usually seen as a person nears death.
Which aspects of anticipatory grief are associated with positive outcomes for the caregiver of a palliative patient (select all that apply)?
A. Strong spiritual beliefs
B. Medical diagnosis of the patient
C. Advanced age of the palliative patient
D. Acceptance of the expected death of the patient
E. Adequate time for the caregiver to prepare for the death CORRECT ANSWER A. Strong spiritual beliefs
D. Acceptance of the expected death of the patient
E. Adequate time for the caregiver to prepare for the death
Acceptance of an impending loss, spiritual beliefs, and adequate preparation time are all associated with positive outcomes regarding anticipatory grief. The age and diagnosis of the patient are not key factors in influencing the quality of caregivers' anticipatory grief.
What is the primary purpose of hospice?
A. Allow patients to die at home.
B. Provide better quality of care than the family can.
C. Coordinate care for dying patients and their families.
An 80-year-old patient is receiving palliative care for heart failure. What are the primary purposes of her receiving palliative care (select all that apply)?
A. Improve her quality of life.
B. Assess her coping ability with disease.
C. Have time to teach patient and family about disease.
D. Focus on reducing the severity of disease symptoms.
E. Provide care that the family is unwilling or unable to give. CORRECT ANSWER A. Improve her quality of life.
D. Focus on reducing the severity of disease symptoms.
The focus of palliative care is to reduce the severity of disease symptoms. The goals of palliative care are to prevent and relieve suffering and to improve quality of life for patients with serious, life-limiting illnesses.
The home health nurse visits a 40-year-old breast cancer patient with metastatic breast cancer who is receiving palliative care. The patient is experiencing pain at a level of 7 (on a 10-point scale). In prioritizing activities for the visit, you would do which of the following first?
A. Auscultate for breath sounds.
B. Administer prn pain medication.
C. Check pressure points for skin breakdown.
D. Ask family members about patient's dietary intake. CORRECT ANSWER B. Administer PRN pain medication.
Meeting the patient's physiologic and safety needs is the priority. Physical care focuses on the needs for oxygen, nutrition, pain relief, mobility, elimination, and skin care. The patient is not experiencing oxygenation problems; the priority is to treat the severe pain with pain medication. During admission of a patient diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer, you assess for which of the following as a key indicator of clinical depression related to terminal illness?
A. Frustration with pain
B. Anorexia and nausea
C. Feelings of hopelessness
D. Inability to carry out activities of daily living CORRECT ANSWER C. Feelings
of hopelessness
Feelings of hopelessness are likely in a patient with a terminal illness who has clinical depression. This can be attributed to lack of control over the disease process or outcome. You should assess for depression routinely when working with patients with a terminal illness.
You are visiting with the wife of a patient who is having difficulty making the transition to palliative care for her dying husband. What is the most desirable outcome for the couple?
A. They express hope for a cure.
B. They comply with treatment options.
C. They set additional goals for the future.
D. They acknowledge the symptoms and prognosis. CORRECT ANSWER D. They acknowledge the symptoms and prognosis.
The grief experience for the caregiver of the patient with a chronic illness often begins long before the death. This is called anticipatory grief. Acceptance of the expected loss is associated with more positive outcomes.
A patient has been receiving palliative care for the past several weeks in light of her worsening condition after a series of strokes. The caregiver has rung the call bell, stating that the patient "stops breathing for a while, then breathes fast and hard, and then stops again." You recognize that the patient is experiencing A. Apnea
B. Bradypnea
C. Death rattle
D. Cheyne-Stokes respirations CORRECT ANSWER D. Cheyne-Stokes respirations
Cheyne-Stokes respirations are a pattern of breathing characterized by alternating periods of apnea and deep, rapid breathing. This type of breathing is usually seen as a person nears death.
Which aspects of anticipatory grief are associated with positive outcomes for the caregiver of a palliative patient (select all that apply)?
A. Strong spiritual beliefs
B. Medical diagnosis of the patient
C. Advanced age of the palliative patient
D. Acceptance of the expected death of the patient
E. Adequate time for the caregiver to prepare for the death CORRECT ANSWER A. Strong spiritual beliefs
D. Acceptance of the expected death of the patient
E. Adequate time for the caregiver to prepare for the death
Acceptance of an impending loss, spiritual beliefs, and adequate preparation time are all associated with positive outcomes regarding anticipatory grief. The age and diagnosis of the patient are not key factors in influencing the quality of caregivers' anticipatory grief.
What is the primary purpose of hospice?
A. Allow patients to die at home.
B. Provide better quality of care than the family can.
C. Coordinate care for dying patients and their families.
