Question

A 43 year-old client with end stage ovarian cancer is admitted to the hospital with a bowel obstruction. The client in a tremendous amount of pain, states, "please give me enough morphine to kill me." The nurse's best response would be:

A."I can't give you an overdose, but once you are discharged, you can do anything that you want."
B."I can see that you are in a lot of pain. Let me rub your back, too."
C."I am trying to understand what you are saying. Can you describe the pain? How intense is the pain? How do you help to relieve the pain?"
D."All right, I can give you a little extra medication."

Answer 1

Option C, which involves asking the patient to describe their pain and engaging in a dialogue to assess the situation, is the best response for the nurse to provide compassionate and effective care while avoiding harmful implications.

Step-by-step explanation:

The best response of the nurse to a client with end stage ovarian cancer who is expressing a wish for a lethal dose of morphine due to severe pain would be option C: "I am trying to understand what you are saying. Can you describe the pain? How intense is the pain? How do you help to relieve the pain?". This option demonstrates empathy and a willingness to assess the patient's pain thoroughly, which is an important aspect of providing adequate palliative care. It opens a dialogue with the patient to better understand their pain and allows the nurse to explore other pain management options or escalate the situation to other healthcare professionals if needed. It's crucial to avoid encouraging patients towards self-harm, overmedicating, or under-assessing their symptoms, which other options may imply.