Answer Choices:
a. Implementing stress-reduction strategies
b. Seeking therapy for dysfunctional grief
c. Discussing the experience of disenfranchised grief
d. Considering taking a leave of absence to pursue healing
Answer:
c. Discussing the experience of disenfranchised grief
Question: When a widowed man states, “It’s difficult getting used to sleeping in our bed alone.” How is the work of mourning best characterized?
Answer Choices:
a. It is beginning.
b. It is progressing abnormally.
c. It is at or near completion.
d. It has not yet begun.
Answer:
c. It is at or near completion.
Question: A child drowned while swimming in a local lake 4 years ago. Which behavior indicates that the parents are effectively coping with their loss?
Answer Choices:
a. Prohibits their other children from swimming lessons.
b. Sets a place for the deceased child at the family dinner table.
c. Keeps their child’s room exactly as the child left it.
d. Throw flowers on the lake at each anniversary date of the accident.
Answer:
d. Throw flowers on the lake at each anniversary date of the accident.
Question: A nurse counsels a person whose spouse recently died. The nurse uses cheer and humor to lift the person’s spirits. At one point, the widowed person smiles briefly. What analysis of this scenario is correct?
Answer Choices:
a. The nurse’s technique was effective.
b. Use of humor should be added to the plan of care.
c. This approach may prove useful in other, similar situations.
d. The nurse needs help developing therapeutic communication skills.
Answer:
d. The nurse needs help developing therapeutic communication skills.
Question: A woman says to the nurse, “It’s been 8 months since my husband died. I’m not feeling any better. I cry when I see his chair, when I have to make decisions alone, and sometimes just for no reason at all. What should I do?” What is the most therapeutic response?
Answer Choices:
a. “Give yourself a time frame to stop grieving.”
b. “Become active in a church.”
c. Go to the spouse’s grave every day.
d. Understand this is a normal response.
Answer:
d. Understand this is a normal response.
Question: A nurse talks with a person whose spouse died suddenly while jogging. Which is the appropriate statement for the nurse?
Answer Choices:
a. “At least your spouse did not suffer.”
b. “It’s better to go quickly as your spouse did.”
c. “The loss of your spouse must be very painful for you.”
d. “You’ll begin to feel better after you get over the shock.”
Answer:
c. “The loss of your spouse must be very painful for you.”
Question: A recently widowed patient tells the health care provider, “I have so much epigastric discomfort. I wonder if I have an ulcer.” Diagnostic tests are negative. What does the symptom likely demonstrate?
Answer Choices:
a. Early reorganization behavior
b. Disorganization and depression
c. Preoccupation with the deceased
d. Normal phenomenon of mourning
Answer:
d. Normal phenomenon of mourning
Question: Which finding indicates the successful completion of an individual’s grieving process?
Answer Choices:
a. For 2 years, a person has kept the deceased spouse’s belongings in their usual places.
b. After 15 months, a widowed person realistically remembers both the pleasures and disappointments of the relationship with the spouse.
c. 3 years after the death, a person talks about the spouse as if the spouse was still alive and weeps when others mention the spouse’s name.
d. 18 months after the spouse’s death, a person says, “I never cry or have feelings of loss even though we were always very close.”
Answer:
b. After 15 months, a widowed person realistically remembers both the pleasures and disappointments of the relationship with the spouse.
Question: A patient diagnosed with metastatic brain cancer says, “I’m dying, but I’m still living. I want to be in control as long as I can.” Which reply shows the nurse was actively listening?
Answer Choices:
a. “Our staff will do their best to help you feel comfortable.”
b. “Most people do not know how to help and are afraid of death.”
c. “Although your body is frail, your mind and spirit are healthy.”
d. “You want people to stop focusing on your weaknesses.”
Answer:
c. “Although your body is frail, your mind and spirit are healthy.”
Question: Shortly after a man’s wife dies, the man approaches the nurse who cared for his wife during her final hours of life and says angrily, “If you had given your undivided attention, she would still be alive.” Which analysis applies?
Answer Choices:
a. The husband will pursue legal action regarding the nurse’s negligence.
b. Anger is a phenomenon experienced during grieving.
c. The husband had ambivalent feelings about his wife.
d. In some cultures, grief is expressed exclusively by anger.
Answer:
b. Anger is a phenomenon experienced during grieving.
Question: A nurse manager notices that a staff member spends minimal time with a patient diagnosed with AIDS who is terminally ill. The patient says, “I’m having intense emotional reactions to this illness. Sometimes I feel angry, but other times I feel afraid or abandoned.” The nurse manager can correctly hypothesize that the most likely reason for the staff member’s avoidance is triggered by what?
Answer Choices:
a. Fear of infection transmission.
b. Feelings of inadequacy in dealing with complex emotional needs.
c. Belief that the patient needs time alone with family and friends.
d. Knowledge that the patient’s former lifestyle included high-risk behavior.
Answer:
b. Feelings of inadequacy in dealing with complex emotional needs.
Question: After her husband died of heart failure, a wife approaches the nurse who cared for her husband. In the hospital hallway, the wife shouts angrily, “He’d still be alive if you’d given him your undivided attention!” Which response should the nurse implement?
Answer Choices:
a. “I understand you’re feeling upset. Let’s go to our conference room, and I’ll stay with you until your family comes.”
b. “Your husband’s heart was severely damaged and could no longer pump. There’s nothing anyone could have done.”
c. “I will call the nursing supervisor to discuss this matter with you.”
d. “It will be all right if you cry. Crying is a normal grief response.”
Answer:
a. “I understand you’re feeling upset. Let’s go to our conference room, and I’ll stay with you until your family comes.”
Question: A terminally ill patient says, “I know I’m not going to get well, but still.” and the patient’s voice trails off. Which response by the nurse is therapeutic?
Answer Choices:
a. “What do you hope for?”
b. “No, you’re not going to get well.”
c. “Do you have questions about what is happening?”
d. “I’m happy you are being realistic about your future.”
Answer:
a. “What do you hope for?”