A nurse is caring for a client who is seeking information about end-of-life decisions. According to the Patient Self-Determination Act, which of the following applies to medical decisions that can be made within organizations that receive Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements?

Rationale:

A. Providing the client with information about transportation services: This helps address access barriers but focuses on support services rather than directly organizing or integrating healthcare delivery, which is central to coordination of care.

B. Informing the client about providers who accept their health insurance: While helpful, this action centers on financial guidance. It supports access but does not actively bridge or organize care among multiple services or settings.

C. Arranging an appointment for the client with a mobile health clinic: Coordinating an appointment directly connects the client with needed services, especially in underserved rural areas. This reflects active care coordination by ensuring timely access to care and reducing system fragmentation.

D. Encouraging the client to become a self-advocate: Promoting self-advocacy empowers the client in their health journey but does not represent coordination of care. Coordination involves organizing and facilitating access across providers and settings.

Rationale for correct choices:

• Electrolyte imbalance: The client’s potassium level of 3.0 mEq/L is critically low, contributing to premature ventricular contractions and orthostatic hypotension. These abnormalities place the client at immediate risk for cardiac dysrhythmias and require urgent correction to prevent life-threatening complications.
• View of body: The client voices fear of gaining weight and fixates on food, which are indicators of distorted self-perception. This impaired view of the body is a central feature of bulimia nervosa and needs to be addressed during psychotherapy once the client is medically stabilized.

Rationale for incorrect choices:

• Impaired body image: While body image concerns are common in eating disorders, this option is more general. “View of body” better captures the client’s psychological distortion and allows for more precise therapeutic interventions that address the cognitive roots of the disorder.
• Impaired coping: The client engages in maladaptive coping strategies like bingeing and purging. However, these behaviors are secondary to deeper distortions in self-image and medical instability. Coping can be addressed later in the treatment process once safety is ensured.
• History of anxiety: Anxiety is part of the client's long-standing history but is not causing the immediate physical risk. Addressing acute electrolyte disturbances and body image distortion takes precedence over chronic anxiety in this clinical setting.
• Obsession with food: Although the client’s persistent thoughts about food are important, they are symptoms driven by distorted body perception. Treating the underlying belief system about body image is more foundational and effective in resolving food-related obsessions.