Question

A nurse is meeting with a woman scheduled to have a modified radical mastectomy to remove an aggressive breast tumor. The woman tells the nurse that she agreed to have the surgery before considering alternative options. Which of the following statements is the nurse's best response?a) "If I were you, I would consider a second opinion."b) "You might want to consider a less invasive surgical procedure."c) "You have a very competent surgeon and you should move forward as planned."d) "Tell me more about your fears and concerns.

Answer 1

Answer:

d) "Tell me more about your fears and concerns."

Explanation:

Statement a) implies the nurse would be imposing her choice on the patient, instead of considering the patient’s concerns and assisting her in deciding a better treatment procedure to undertake.

Statement b) cannot be the best response from the nurse because, the suggested less invasive surgical operation procedure is limited in scope and may not adequately get all the affected tissues removed. The stage of the cancer and how severe it is should inform the type of treatment the patient can be advised to undergo. A combination of treatments might also be needed depending on the stage and nature of the cancer to be treated.

Statement d) is a better response compared to c) and b) and a). Getting to know the fears and concerns of the patient would help enable the nurse to ascertain if the patient has full knowledge about the scheduled procedure as well as address, adequately, the areas that needs further clarification and remove all fears and doubts the patient is having towards the procedure she has decided to undergo.