Author Question: A client hospitalized for diagnostic testing reports an intense fear of being found to have a ... (Read 59 times)

Ebrown · **on:** Jul 22, 2018

A client hospitalized for diagnostic testing reports an intense fear of being found to have a terminal condition. What response by the nurse will be most therapeutic?

1. There is no indication you are going to die..
2. I am not sure why you feel that way..
3. What has your doctor told you about your condition?
4. What types of symptoms lead you to feel this way?

Question 2

A new nurse is participating in the unit's quality improvement program by serving on the unit committee. The unit has increased its RN staff. The nurse expects to note which improvement on the unit?

1. Increased cost of care.
2. Increased use of overtime.
3. Decreased client satisfaction.
4. Decreased infection rates.

tranoy · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 22, 2018

Answer to Question 1

3. What has your doctor told you about your condition?

Rationale:
The client is demonstrating signs of death anxiety. This involves a fear of dying. The nurse's responsibility will be to determine what has caused this anxiety. Telling the client that the feelings are unfounded will do little to ease the client's anxiety. Further, this might not be entirely true. Expressing to the client a lack of understanding about his feelings will not gain much data or promote a rapport between the client and the nurse. Asking what symptoms lead to the client's feelings is disingenuous, because the client is obviously worried about the test results.

Answer to Question 2

4. Decreased infection rates.

Rationale:
Research has shown that an increase in RN staff decreases a unit's infection rate. Since infection is reduced, cost of care is also reduced. Overtime is not necessarily reduced by an increase in staff, depending on the number of nurses available at any given time. Studies show that client satisfaction increases with an increase of RN staff.