Final answer:
A nurse struggling with detachment from patient care should confide in a trusted colleague, as this provides emotional support and can lead to practical advice on managing over-involvement, which is important for maintaining emotional well-being and professional effectiveness.The correct answer is option A.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a nurse finds it difficult to distance herself from the care of a patient after leaving work, it might be indicative of compassion fatigue or emotional over-involvement. It's important for the nurse to address this issue to maintain personal well-being and professional effectiveness.
The appropriate course of action in this case would typically be to confide in a colleague she trusts (option D). This step allows for a professional discussion, provides an opportunity for emotional support, and can lead to practical advice on how to manage the feelings of over-involvement.
Requesting the patient be assigned to another nurse (option B) or sharing her concerns with the patient (option C) could have negative repercussions for the patient's care and may not resolve the underlying issue. Recognizing that she is 'too compassionate' (option A) does not address the issue of maintaining a professional, healthy balance between empathy and detachment.
Nurses often navigate between work overload, dealing with patient concerns, facing heavy physical work, and sometimes encountering interpersonal problems with other medical staff, which can all contribute to emotional strain.The correct answer is option A.