A client with a terminal illness informs the nurse that they do not want life-prolonging treatments, even though the client's family disagrees with this decision. What is the nurse's primary responsibility in this situation?
Encourage the client to reconsider their decision to avoid upsetting their family.
Seek the family’s agreement on the care plan to avoid conflict within the healthcare team.
Refer the case to the hospital’s ethics committee to resolve the disagreement.
Support and actively advocate for the client's decisions while ensuring proper documentation.
The nurse's primary responsibility is to respect the client's autonomy by ensuring their wishes are followed. Advocacy involves giving priority to the client’s expressed desires over conflicting opinions from others, such as family members, in cases where the client is mentally competent. Nurses must ensure that clients’ rights are upheld while supporting open communication to manage family concerns. Correct documentation of these wishes is also essential. The other options may concern family preferences or documentation as secondary considerations, but they do not take precedence over the client’s expressed decision.
Ask Bash
Bash is our AI bot, trained to help you pass your exam. AI Generated Content may display inaccurate information, always double-check anything important.
What does it mean to advocate for a client's decisions?
Open an interactive chat with Bash
What does client autonomy mean in healthcare?
Open an interactive chat with Bash
Why is proper documentation important in this scenario?
Open an interactive chat with Bash
NCLEX RN
Safe and Effective Care Environment
Your Score:
Report Issue
Bash, the Crucial Exams Chat Bot
AI Bot
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Nursing and Medical Assistants Package Join Premium for Full Access