Deck 24: Loss, Grief, Dying, and Death

Question 1

After a physician in the emergency department has pronounced a 2-year-old dead following a swimming pool accident, the mother tearfully says to the father, "I am so sorry. I am so sorry." What is the mother expressing?

A) Fear
B) Guilt
C) Hostility
D) Grief

Answer 1

Guilt

Question 2

When a nurse informs a patient's spouse that the patient has died, the spouse states, "You must be mistaken." Which of Kübler-Ross's stages of dying is the spouse demonstrating?

A) Anger
B) Denial
C) Depression
D) Bargaining

Answer 2

Denial

Question 3

The home health nurse assesses that the goal of grief resolution has been accomplished when the nurse observes that a widow has performed which activities? (Select all that apply.)

A) Adjusted to an environment without the spouse
B) Put financial affairs in order
C) Made plans for a lengthy trip
D) Sought new relationships
E) Acquired a job

Answer 3

Adjusted to an environment without the spouse
Sought new relationships

Question 4

What is the first thing the nurse should do before involving the family in the care of a dying patient?

A) Ask the patient if he or she wants family care
B) Ask family members if they want to assist with care
C) Check the hospital policy on the family giving care
D) Set a caring example

Question 5

What should the nurse do before approaching a grieving family member?

A) Offer sympathy
B) Assess level of resolution
C) Give assurance that the pain will pass
D) Encourage the family member to return to normal activities

Question 6

The nurse spends a great deal of time in the room of a dying 12-year-old because the nurse knows that most children are aware of their condition and want the nurse to do which of the following?

A) Keep them clean
B) Help them eat
C) Care about them
D) Keep them comfortable

Question 7

How does a perceived loss differ from an actual loss?

A) A perceived loss is more quickly resolved.
B) A perceived loss is situational.
C) A perceived loss is easily overlooked.
D) A perceived loss has a superficial response.

Question 8

When the nurse is developing a care plan for a terminally ill patient, what might be a realistic goal?

A) The patient will remain pain-free.
B) The patient will function optimally.
C) The patient will spend time out of bed.
D) The patient will demonstrate improved nutritional status.

Question 9

Upon being told of her father's death, the daughter cries out, "No! Oh, God, no!" What stage of grief is the daughter in?

A) Anger
B) Bargaining
C) Denial
D) Prayer

Question 10

Changes in health care reimbursement measures have resulted in which of the following changes regarding care of the terminally ill?

A) Patients spend more time in hospitals
B) Nurses provide more care in hospitals
C) More patients die at home
D) Patients spend more time in rehab facilities

Question 11

How is a durable power of attorney helpful to an incapacitated patient?

A) It directs treatment in accordance with the patient's wishes.
B) It directs an agent to make health care decisions.
C) It gives power to an agent to make decisions regarding health, property, and other assets.
D) It can only be executed by an attorney.

Question 12

What is the final stage of human growth and development?

A) Integrity
B) Death
C) Despair
D) Resolution

Question 13

A nurse is caring for the dying mother of a 7-year-old child. What is important for the nurse to understand regarding the child?

A) The child associates death with aggression.
B) The child believes his or her own death cannot be avoided.
C) The child lacks understanding of the concept of death.
D) The child understands death as the inevitable end of life.

Question 14

A patient whose spouse died 1 year earlier complains of feeling overwhelmingly lonely and has withdrawn from interpersonal interactions. The patient is demonstrating what stage of dying according to Kübler-Ross's stages of dying theory?

A) Anger
B) Denial
C) Depression
D) Bargaining

Question 15

Following the death of a day-old infant, the nurse brings the baby to the parents. What is the rationale for the parents' visit with the deceased baby?

A) Bond with the family
B) Reinforce the individuality of the baby
C) Generate preparation for another child
D) Make the death a reality

Question 16

Which of the five aspects of human functioning must a nurse address when dealing with a grieving person? (Select all that apply.)

A) Physical
B) Emotional
C) Intellectual
D) Financial
E) Spiritual

Question 17

A dying patient uses the call light frequently to ask the nurse to do simple tasks. The nurse recognizes this as a fear of:

A) increased pain.
B) failure.
C) abandonment.
D) isolation.

Question 18

Which of the following would lead the home health nurse to make a nursing diagnosis of unresolved grief for a patient who was widowed 5 months ago?

A) Seeing that the patient keeps a picture of the husband by her bed
B) The patient said tearfully, "I can't believe he is gone."
C) Assessing that the patient eats out frequently rather than cooking at home
D) The patient says that she attends church three times a week.

Question 19

A young nurse caring for a dying patient hastens through the care and leaves the room as quickly as possible. What common reaction to the care of the dying is the nurse exhibiting?

A) Efficiency
B) Anger
C) Withdrawal
D) Anxiety

Question 20

What is the termination of tube feedings to a dying patient considered?

A) Active euthanasia
B) Holistic care
C) Passive euthanasia
D) Terminal care

Question 21

The nurse explains to a grieving husband that the process of the resolution of the hurt and the reestablishment of his life is called the __________ ___________.