A hospice patient is unable to tolerate food or fluids and has advance directives that indicate that he does not want IV fluids or tube feedings if he is unable to take oral feedings. His family is concerned that he will be very uncomfortable without food or fluids. The nurse should tell them that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A.
IV fluids or tube feeding would likely make the patient more uncomfortable, and dehydration has been shown to decrease pain and discomfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
B.
Once the patient is unconscious, his health care proxy can order IV fluids or tube feedings to prevent dehydration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
C.
IV fluids or a tube feeding would make the patient much more comfortable, and they should try to talk him into accepting them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
D.
dehydration is painful, and medication can be given to overcome any pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The correct answer and Explanation is :<\/strong><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n The correct answer is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n A. IV fluids or tube feeding would likely make the patient more uncomfortable, and dehydration has been shown to decrease pain and discomfort.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In hospice care, the primary goal is to ensure comfort and dignity for patients nearing the end of life. Patients with advanced directives stating they do not want IV fluids or tube feedings are expressing their wishes to prioritize quality of life over prolonging life through artificial means. When a patient is unable to tolerate food or fluids and has made such directives, it is essential to respect their autonomy and choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Research indicates that dehydration in the terminal phase of life does not typically lead to discomfort, and in some cases, it can actually reduce sensations of pain and distress. When patients become dehydrated, they often enter a state of natural transition where their bodies begin to slow down, which may reduce their perception of pain. Additionally, the administration of IV fluids or tube feedings can cause discomfort due to the potential for fluid overload, gastrointestinal distress, and other complications associated with these interventions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Family concerns about a patient\u2019s comfort are valid, as they want the best for their loved one. However, it’s crucial to communicate that palliative care focuses on comfort rather than prolongation of life. If the patient is uncomfortable, medications for symptom management can be administered to ensure their comfort without resorting to invasive measures that go against their wishes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In summary, honoring the patient’s advance directives while providing compassionate care and symptom management is paramount in hospice settings. Educating the family on these aspects can help them understand the importance of respecting the patient\u2019s choices during this sensitive time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A hospice patient is unable to tolerate food or fluids and has advance directives that indicate that he does not want IV fluids or tube feedings if he is unable to take oral feedings. His family is concerned that he will be very uncomfortable without food or fluids. The nurse should tell them that: A.IV […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-142268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-exams-certification"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142268","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142268"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142268\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnexams.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Explanation:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n