A nurse in a provider's office is caring for a group of clients who have communicable diseases. Which of the following infections should the nurse report to the state health department?

A. The cause of death is typically determined and documented by the attending physician or coroner, not the nurse.
B.While this information might be included in other parts of the medical record prior to the death, it is not required in postmortem documentation.
C. The nurse should verify that advance directives were followed, but the actual copy of the advance directives does not need to be included in the postmortem documentation. These should already be part of the client’s medical record.
D. Documenting the location of the identification tag is important for proper identification of the body after death. This ensures that the body is correctly identified during transfer to the morgue or funeral home.

The correct answer is choiceb. Support the client’s decision to stop the treatment.

Choice A rationale:

While discussing the decision with family can be important, the nurse’s primary responsibility is to respect and support the client’s autonomy and decision-making capacity. Encouraging the client to discuss with family is secondary to supporting their decision.

Choice B rationale:

Supporting the client’s decision to stop treatment respects their autonomy and right to make decisions about their own care.This is a fundamental principle in nursing ethics and patient-centered care.

Choice C rationale:

Discussing alternative treatment methods may be appropriate in some contexts, but in this case, the client has already made a decision to stop dialysis. The nurse should focus on supporting this decision rather than suggesting alternatives.

Choice D rationale:

Asking the facility chaplain to visit the client can be supportive, but it should not be the nurse’s primary action. The nurse should first support the client’s decision and then offer additional support services as needed.