Exam Guide
Explaining a DNR Order to a Client's Partner
Psychosocial Needs · Question from the ATI PN Fundamentals 2023 Proctored Exam study set
Correct answer: "If your partner's heart stops, the provider will not try to restart it."
Why this is the answer
A DNR order means resuscitative measures (e.g., CPR, defibrillation) will be withheld if the client suffers cardiac or respiratory arrest; all other treatment and comfort care continue as ordered. This response is accurate, clear, and non-judgmental.
The bigger concept
Communication items about DNR status are really testing whether you understand what the order does and does not do. A DNR withholds CPR and defibrillation at the moment of arrest — it does not mean 'do not treat,' and all comfort, medication, and nursing care continue. The correct response gives that fact plainly, without judgment and without deflecting the question to the provider when the nurse can answer it accurately.
Related Psychosocial Needs practice questions
- Responding to a Parent Whose Preschooler Refuses to Eat
- Postmortem Care: The Dentures Mistake
- Therapeutic Response to an Upset Assistive Personnel
- Responding to 'I Don't Know What to Expect'
- Client Worried About Medication Costs at Discharge
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