Palliative Care at End of Life EXAM 2026-2027 LATEST
UPDATED VERSION QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
The nurse cares for a terminally ill patient who is experiencing pain that is continuous and severe. How
should the nurse schedule the administration of opioid pain medications?
a.
Give around-the-clock routine administration of analgesics.
b.
Provide PRN doses of medication whenever the patient requests.
c.
Offer enough pain medication to keep the patient sedated and unaware of stimuli.
d.
Suggest analgesic doses that provide pain control without decreasing respiratory rate. - answer>>A
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.
The nurse cares for a patient with lung cancer in a home hospice program. Which action by the nurse is
most appropriate?
a.
Discuss cancer risk factors and appropriate lifestyle modifications.
b.
Encourage the patient to discuss past life events and their meaning.
c.
,Teach the patient about the purpose of chemotherapy and radiation.
d.
Accomplish a thorough head-to-toe assessment several times a week. - answer>>B
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. Frequent head-to-toe assessments are not needed for hospice patients
and may tire the patient unnecessarily. Patients admitted to hospice forego curative treatments such as
chemotherapy and radiation for lung cancer. Discussion of cancer risk factors and therapies is not
appropriate.
A hospice nurse who has become close to a terminally ill patient is present in the home when the
patient dies and feels saddened and tearful as the family members begin to cry. Which action should
the nurse take at this time?
a.
Contact a grief counselor as soon as possible.
b.
Cry along with the patient's family members.
c.
Leave the home as soon as possible to allow the family to grieve privately.
d.
Consider whether working in hospice is desirable because patient losses are common. - answer>>B
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. Contacting a grief counselor, leaving the family to grieve
privately, and considering whether hospice continues to be a satisfying place to work are all appropriate
actions as well, but the nurse's initial action at this time should be to share the grieving process with the
family.
A middle-aged patient tells the nurse, "My mother died 4 months ago, and I just can't seem to get over
it. I'm not sure it is normal to still think about her every day." Which nursing diagnosis is most
appropriate?
, a.
Hopelessness related to inability to resolve grief
b.
Complicated grieving related to unresolved issues
c.
Anxiety related to lack of knowledge about normal grieving
d.
Chronic sorrow related to ongoing distress about loss of mother - answer>>C
The patient should be reassured that grieving activities such as frequent thoughts about the deceased
are considered normal for months or years after a death. The other nursing diagnoses imply that the
patient's grief is unusual or pathologic, which is not the case.
The son of a dying patient tells the nurse, "Mother doesn't really respond any more when I visit. I don't
think she knows that I am here." Which response by the nurse is appropriate?
a.
"You may need to cut back your visits for now to avoid overtiring your mother."
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.
"Many patients don't really know what is going on around them at the end of life." - answer>>B
UPDATED VERSION QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
The nurse cares for a terminally ill patient who is experiencing pain that is continuous and severe. How
should the nurse schedule the administration of opioid pain medications?
a.
Give around-the-clock routine administration of analgesics.
b.
Provide PRN doses of medication whenever the patient requests.
c.
Offer enough pain medication to keep the patient sedated and unaware of stimuli.
d.
Suggest analgesic doses that provide pain control without decreasing respiratory rate. - answer>>A
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.
The nurse cares for a patient with lung cancer in a home hospice program. Which action by the nurse is
most appropriate?
a.
Discuss cancer risk factors and appropriate lifestyle modifications.
b.
Encourage the patient to discuss past life events and their meaning.
c.
,Teach the patient about the purpose of chemotherapy and radiation.
d.
Accomplish a thorough head-to-toe assessment several times a week. - answer>>B
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. Frequent head-to-toe assessments are not needed for hospice patients
and may tire the patient unnecessarily. Patients admitted to hospice forego curative treatments such as
chemotherapy and radiation for lung cancer. Discussion of cancer risk factors and therapies is not
appropriate.
A hospice nurse who has become close to a terminally ill patient is present in the home when the
patient dies and feels saddened and tearful as the family members begin to cry. Which action should
the nurse take at this time?
a.
Contact a grief counselor as soon as possible.
b.
Cry along with the patient's family members.
c.
Leave the home as soon as possible to allow the family to grieve privately.
d.
Consider whether working in hospice is desirable because patient losses are common. - answer>>B
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. Contacting a grief counselor, leaving the family to grieve
privately, and considering whether hospice continues to be a satisfying place to work are all appropriate
actions as well, but the nurse's initial action at this time should be to share the grieving process with the
family.
A middle-aged patient tells the nurse, "My mother died 4 months ago, and I just can't seem to get over
it. I'm not sure it is normal to still think about her every day." Which nursing diagnosis is most
appropriate?
, a.
Hopelessness related to inability to resolve grief
b.
Complicated grieving related to unresolved issues
c.
Anxiety related to lack of knowledge about normal grieving
d.
Chronic sorrow related to ongoing distress about loss of mother - answer>>C
The patient should be reassured that grieving activities such as frequent thoughts about the deceased
are considered normal for months or years after a death. The other nursing diagnoses imply that the
patient's grief is unusual or pathologic, which is not the case.
The son of a dying patient tells the nurse, "Mother doesn't really respond any more when I visit. I don't
think she knows that I am here." Which response by the nurse is appropriate?
a.
"You may need to cut back your visits for now to avoid overtiring your mother."
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.
"Many patients don't really know what is going on around them at the end of life." - answer>>B
