Question

A nurse is educating a client who has a terminal illness about her request to decline resuscitation in her living will. The client asks what would happen if she arrived at the emergency department and had difficulty breathing. Which of the following responses should the nurse provide?

Option 1: "We would consult the person appointed by your health care proxy to make decisions."
Option 2: "We would give you oxygen through a tube in your nose."
Option 3: "You would be unable to change your previous wishes about your care."
Option 4: "We would insert a breathing tube while we evaluate your condition."

Answer 1

The nurse should provide oxygen through a tube in the client's nose if she arrives at the emergency department with difficulty breathing.

Step-by-step explanation:

If the client arrived at the emergency department and had difficulty breathing, the nurse should provide oxygen through a tube in the client's nose (Option 2). This intervention would help alleviate the client's breathing difficulties. The other options are not appropriate in this situation: consulting the health care proxy appointed by the client (Option 1) would not address the immediate breathing difficulty, and inserting a breathing tube while evaluating the condition (Option 4) would be an invasive intervention that goes against the client's request to decline resuscitation.