The nurse is providing education to a client who receives a prescription for zolpidem.
Which information about the medication should the nurse include?

- A terminally ill client is a client who has a progressive and incurable disease or condition that is expected to result in death within a short period of time, such as months or weeks. A terminally ill client may require palliative care, which is the care that focuses on relieving pain and suffering and improving the quality of life for the client and their family.

- An admission assessment is the process of collecting information about a client's health status, needs, preferences, and goals when they are admited to a health care facility, such as a hospital, nursing home, or hospice. An admission assessment helps to establish a baseline for the client's condition, plan and implement appropriate interventions, and evaluate the outcomes of care.

- A health care proxy is a legal document that allows a client to appoint another person, such as a family member or a friend, to make health care decisions for them if they become unable to do so themselves. A health care proxy may also include specific instructions or preferences about the type and extent of care that the client wishes to receive or refuse, such as life-sustaining treatments, resuscitation, or organ donation.

- Health care proxy documentation is an important information that the practical nurse (PN) should collect during the admission assessment of a terminally ill client to an acute care facility, as it reflects the client's autonomy, dignity, and wishes regarding their end-of-life care. It also helps to ensure that the client's healthcare decisions are respected and followed by the healthcare team and the facility.

- Therefore, option A is the correct answer, while options B, C, and D are incorrect.

Option B is incorrect because the name of the funeral home to contact is not relevant or necessary for the admission assessment of a terminally ill client, as it does not affect their health status or care plan.

Option C is incorrect because the client's wishes regarding organ donation may be included in their health care proxy documentation, but they are not required or essential for the admission assessment of a terminally ill client.

Option D is incorrect because the contact information for the client's next of kin may be useful for communication and support purposes, but it is not as important as the health care proxy documentation for the admission assessment of a terminally ill client.

The correct answer is choice C: Increase rate of ventilation.

Choice A rationale:

Decreasing expiratory flow time would not directly address the elevated PaCO2 levels. This intervention is more related to managing expiratory phase issues rather than correcting respiratory acidosis.

Choice B rationale:

Decreasing expiratory pressure might help with certain ventilation issues, but it does not specifically target the elevated PaCO2 and resulting acidosis.

Choice C rationale:

Increasing the rate of ventilation helps to blow off more CO2, thereby reducing PaCO2 levels and correcting the respiratory acidosis indicated by the pH of 7.26 and PaCO2 of 68 mm Hg.

Choice D rationale:

Increasing the ventilator tidal volume could also help reduce PaCO2 by increasing the amount of air exchanged with each breath. However, increasing the rate of ventilation is generally a more immediate and effective intervention for acute respiratory acidosis.