Brunner & Suddarth. Test Bank
(Chapter 16)
1. In the past three to four decades, nursing has moved into the forefront in providing
care for the dying. Which phenomenon has most contributed to this increased focus of
care of the dying?
A) Increased incidence of infections and acute illnesses
B) Increased focus of healthcare providers on disease prevention
C) Larger numbers of people dying in hospital settings
D) Demographic changes in the population - answerD) Demographic changes in the
population
2). A nurse who works in the specialty of palliative care frequently encounters issues
and situations that constitute ethical dilemmas. What issue has most often presented
challenging ethical issues, especially in the context of palliative care?
A) The increase in cultural diversity in the United States.
B) Staffing shortages in health care and questions concerning quality of care.
C) Increased costs of health care coupled with inequalities in access.
D) Ability of technology to prolong life beyond meaningful quality of life. - answerD)
Ability of technology to prolong life beyond meaningful quality of life.
3). The nurse is caring for a patient who has been recently diagnosed with late-stage
pancreatic cancer. The patient refuses to accept the diagnosis and refuses to adhere to
treatment. What is the most likely psychosocial purpose of this patient's strategy?
A) The patient may be trying to protect loved ones from the emotional effects of the
illness.
B) The patient is being non-compliant in order to assert power over caregivers.
C) The patient may be skeptical of the benefits of the Western biomedical model of
health.
D) The patient thinks that treatment does not provide him comfort. - answerA) The
patient may be trying to protect loved ones from the emotional effects of the illness.
4). A nurse who sits on the hospital's ethics committee is reviewing a complex case that
has many of the hallmarks of assisted suicide. Which of the following would be an
example of assisted suicide?
A) Administering a lethal dose of medication to a patient whose death is imminent.
B) Administering a morphine infusion without assessing for respiratory depression
, C) Granting a patient's request not to initiate enteral feeding when the patient is unable
to eat.
D) Neglecting to resuscitate a patient with a do-not-resuscitate order. - answerA)
Administering a lethal dose of medication to a patient whose death is imminent.
5). A medical nurse is providing palliative care to a patient with a diagnosis of end-stage
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). What is the primary goal of this nurse's
care?
A) To improve the patient's and family's quality of life
B) To support aggressive and innovative treatments for cure.
C) To provide physical support for the patient
D) To help the patient develop a separate plan with each discipline of the health care
team. - answerA) To improve the patient's and family's quality of life.
6). After contributing to the care of several patients who died in the hospital, the nurse
has identified some lapses in the care that many of these patients received toward the
end of their lives. What have research studies identified as a potential deficiency in the
care of the dying in hospital settings?
A) Families needs for information and support often go unmet.
B) Patients are too sedated to achieve adequate pain control.
C) Patients are not given opportunities to communicate with caregivers.
D) Patients are ignored by the care team toward the end of life. - answerA) Families
needs for information and support often go unmet.
7). An adult oncology patient has a diagnosis of bladder cancer with metastasis and the
patient has asked the nurse about the possibility of hospice care. Which principle is
central to a hospice setting?
A) The patient and family should be viewed as a single unit of care.
B) Persistent symptoms of terminal illness should not be treated.
C) Each member of the interdisciplinary team should develop an individual plan of care.
D) Terminally ill patients should die in the hospital whenever possible. - answerA) The
patient and family should be viewed as a single unit of care.
8). A clinic nurse is providing patient education prior to a patient's scheduled palliative
radiotherapy to her spine. At the completion of the patient teaching, the patient
continues to ask the same questions that the nurse has already addressed. What is the
plausible conclusion that the nurse should draw from this?
A) The patient is not listening effectively.
B) The patient is noncompliant with the plan of care.
C) The patient may have a low intelligence quotient or a cognitive deficit.
D) The patient has not achieved the desired learning outcomes. - answerD) The patient
has not achieved the desired learning outcomes.
(Chapter 16)
1. In the past three to four decades, nursing has moved into the forefront in providing
care for the dying. Which phenomenon has most contributed to this increased focus of
care of the dying?
A) Increased incidence of infections and acute illnesses
B) Increased focus of healthcare providers on disease prevention
C) Larger numbers of people dying in hospital settings
D) Demographic changes in the population - answerD) Demographic changes in the
population
2). A nurse who works in the specialty of palliative care frequently encounters issues
and situations that constitute ethical dilemmas. What issue has most often presented
challenging ethical issues, especially in the context of palliative care?
A) The increase in cultural diversity in the United States.
B) Staffing shortages in health care and questions concerning quality of care.
C) Increased costs of health care coupled with inequalities in access.
D) Ability of technology to prolong life beyond meaningful quality of life. - answerD)
Ability of technology to prolong life beyond meaningful quality of life.
3). The nurse is caring for a patient who has been recently diagnosed with late-stage
pancreatic cancer. The patient refuses to accept the diagnosis and refuses to adhere to
treatment. What is the most likely psychosocial purpose of this patient's strategy?
A) The patient may be trying to protect loved ones from the emotional effects of the
illness.
B) The patient is being non-compliant in order to assert power over caregivers.
C) The patient may be skeptical of the benefits of the Western biomedical model of
health.
D) The patient thinks that treatment does not provide him comfort. - answerA) The
patient may be trying to protect loved ones from the emotional effects of the illness.
4). A nurse who sits on the hospital's ethics committee is reviewing a complex case that
has many of the hallmarks of assisted suicide. Which of the following would be an
example of assisted suicide?
A) Administering a lethal dose of medication to a patient whose death is imminent.
B) Administering a morphine infusion without assessing for respiratory depression
, C) Granting a patient's request not to initiate enteral feeding when the patient is unable
to eat.
D) Neglecting to resuscitate a patient with a do-not-resuscitate order. - answerA)
Administering a lethal dose of medication to a patient whose death is imminent.
5). A medical nurse is providing palliative care to a patient with a diagnosis of end-stage
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). What is the primary goal of this nurse's
care?
A) To improve the patient's and family's quality of life
B) To support aggressive and innovative treatments for cure.
C) To provide physical support for the patient
D) To help the patient develop a separate plan with each discipline of the health care
team. - answerA) To improve the patient's and family's quality of life.
6). After contributing to the care of several patients who died in the hospital, the nurse
has identified some lapses in the care that many of these patients received toward the
end of their lives. What have research studies identified as a potential deficiency in the
care of the dying in hospital settings?
A) Families needs for information and support often go unmet.
B) Patients are too sedated to achieve adequate pain control.
C) Patients are not given opportunities to communicate with caregivers.
D) Patients are ignored by the care team toward the end of life. - answerA) Families
needs for information and support often go unmet.
7). An adult oncology patient has a diagnosis of bladder cancer with metastasis and the
patient has asked the nurse about the possibility of hospice care. Which principle is
central to a hospice setting?
A) The patient and family should be viewed as a single unit of care.
B) Persistent symptoms of terminal illness should not be treated.
C) Each member of the interdisciplinary team should develop an individual plan of care.
D) Terminally ill patients should die in the hospital whenever possible. - answerA) The
patient and family should be viewed as a single unit of care.
8). A clinic nurse is providing patient education prior to a patient's scheduled palliative
radiotherapy to her spine. At the completion of the patient teaching, the patient
continues to ask the same questions that the nurse has already addressed. What is the
plausible conclusion that the nurse should draw from this?
A) The patient is not listening effectively.
B) The patient is noncompliant with the plan of care.
C) The patient may have a low intelligence quotient or a cognitive deficit.
D) The patient has not achieved the desired learning outcomes. - answerD) The patient
has not achieved the desired learning outcomes.
