Author Question: A client has been hospitalized with an opportunistic infection secondary to acquired immune ... (Read 67 times)

dalyningkenk · **on:** Jun 25, 2018

A client has been hospitalized with an opportunistic infection secondary to acquired immune deficiency syndrome. The client's partner is listed as the emergency contact, but the client's mother insists that she should be listed instead.

What action by the nurse is best?
a.
Contact the social worker to assist the client with advance directives.
b.
Ignore the mother; the client does not want her to be involved.
c.
Let the client know, gently, that nurses cannot be involved in these disputes.
d.
Tell the client that, legally, the mother is the emergency contact.

Question 2

A nurse works on a unit that has admitted its first client with acquired immune deficiency syndrome. The nurse overhears other staff members talking about the AIDS guy and wondering how the client contracted the disease.

What action by the nurse is best?
a.
Confront the staff members about unethical behavior.
b.
Ignore the behavior; they will stop on their own soon.
c.
Report the behavior to the unit's nursing management.
d.
Tell the client that other staff members are talking about him or her.

frejo · **Reply #1 on:** Jun 25, 2018

Answer to Question 1

ANS: A
The client should make his or her wishes known and formalize them through advance directives. The nurse should help the client by contacting someone to help with this process. Ignoring the mother or telling the client that nurses cannot be involved does not help the situation. Legal statutes vary by state; as more states recognize gay marriage, this issue will continue to evolve.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: A
The professional nurse should be able to confront unethical behavior assertively. The staff should not be talking about clients unless they have a need to do so for client care. Ignoring the behavior may be more comfortable, but the nurse is abdicating responsibility. The behavior may need to be reported, but not as a first step. Telling the client that others are talking about him or her does not accomplish anything.