Question

A patient diagnosed with breast cancer who is in the end stages of her illness has been in the medical intensive care unit for 3 weeks. Her husband tells the nurse caring for the patient that he and his wife often talked about the end of her life and that she was very clear about not wanting aggressive treatment that would merely prolong her death. The nurse and husband both agree that this seems to be all that therapy is now doing for her. The nurse would suggest that the husband speak to his wife's physician about which type of order.

a. Comfort-measures-only
b. Do-not-hospitalize
c. Do-not-resuscitate
d. Slow-code-only

Answer 1

The husband should discuss a comfort-measures-only order with the physician, which focuses on palliative care without pursuing aggressive treatments, honoring the patient's end-of-life wishes.

Step-by-step explanation:

The husband of a terminally ill patient should speak to the physician about a comfort-measures-only order. This type of order aligns with the patient's wishes to not receive aggressive treatment that would merely prolong the process of dying. Instead, comfort-measures-only focuses on providing care that ensures the patient's comfort and peace in the last stages of life, which is in line with the principles of hospice care. A comfort-measures-only approach often includes pain relief and other measures to reduce discomfort without pursuing curative treatments.