Skip to ContentGo to accessibility pageKeyboard shortcuts menu
OpenStax Logo
Fundamentals of Nursing

What Should the Nurse Do?

Fundamentals of NursingWhat Should the Nurse Do?

What Should the Nurse Do?

1 .
A nurse is assigned to a patient who has end-stage bone cancer and wants to enter hospice. The patient expresses concern that all the people taking care of them are not talking to each other. The nurse notices some disjointed care from the other healthcare providers; some of the team is prescribing palliative measures while others are continuing to treat issues. What should the nurse do to resolve this issue?
2 .
A 78-year-old patient presents to the emergency room with a swollen knee for one week. Patient states the knee is painful and limits mobility; pain is 5 on a scale of 1–10. Vital signs: temperature, 98.8°F (37.1°C); respiratory rate, 18 breaths/minute; heart rate, 88 beats/minute; blood pressure, 98/60 mmHg. Patient’s height is 4 ft 10 in (147.3 cm) and weight is 98 lbs. (44.4 kg). The patient states the knee aches with weather changes, has sustained no injury to provoke swelling. Pulses are palpable 2 + bilaterally, no injury noted to right knee, 1 + nonpitting edema noted on top of knee. The patient is accompanied by a significant other. The patient acknowledges practicing the Jewish religion. What needs (physical, emotional, spiritual) are a priority? Why?
3 .
A 27-year-old patient is admitted to a mental healthcare facility with depression and suicidality after telling a family member about a suicide plan. The patient states they have considered suicide for a few weeks and have developed a plan on how to complete the act. Vital signs: temperature 98.6°F (37.0°C); respiratory rate, 16 breaths/minute; heart rate, 80 beats/minute; blood pressure, 128/78 mmHg. Patient’s height is 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) and weight is 190 lbs (86.2 kg). The patient has no complaints of pain or previous medical history. The patient is accompanied by a significant other. The patient acknowledges practicing no religion. What needs (physical, emotional, spiritual) are a priority? Why?
4 .
The nurse is assigned to care for a patient who is actively dying. Which needs should the nurse address for this patient and family?
PreviousNext
Citation/Attribution

This book may not be used in the training of large language models or otherwise be ingested into large language models or generative AI offerings without OpenStax's permission.

Want to cite, share, or modify this book? This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution License and you must attribute OpenStax.

Attribution information
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a print format, then you must include on every physical page the following attribution:
    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/fundamentals-nursing/pages/1-introduction
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a digital format, then you must include on every digital page view the following attribution:
    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/fundamentals-nursing/pages/1-introduction
Citation information

© Aug 20, 2024 OpenStax. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License . The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.