Question

The nurse is caring for a patient with a terminal illness. The patient has been receiving supplemental feedings through a nasogastric tube. The physician has ordered diagnostic tests that indicate the patient’s brain isn’t functioning. The physician has spoken with the patient’s family, reviewed the patient’s advance directives, and has ordered the feeding tube to be discontinued and to decrease the patient’s IV fluids to allow for a peaceful passing. After the physician leaves, the patient’s wife tells the nurse she is against euthanasia and is feeling guilty about the removal of the feeding tube. How might the nurse respond to the wife?

Please provide a reference for the source of your information.

Answer 1

Terminal illness or end-stage disease is a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and is reasonably expected to result in death of the patient. Terminal patients have options for disease management after diagnosis.

In this case, the nurse should provide counseling to the patient's wife as death with formality was the discuss and the patient's brain was already dead.

So, there were no use of any kind of tube feeding as the patient may not live for a longer period of time.

The nurse educate the patient's wife about the patient's move along instruction and the patient has his self determination.