Patient who is having internal radiation in private room said to nurse she is feeling alone because of restricted visitors then what is the Nursing priority intervention?

1. A

   Discuss the risk of radiation therapy

2. B

   Shift the patient in general ward

3. C

   Avoid the patient's request

4. D

   Strictly refuse the patient

Appeared in: PGIMER Sangrur NO - 2023

Explanation

• The priority is to address the patient's stated feeling of loneliness using therapeutic communication.
• Educating the patient about the reason for the visitor restrictions—to protect loved ones from radiation exposure—is the first and most crucial step.
• This approach validates the patient's feelings while reinforcing the non-negotiable safety protocols required for brachytherapy.
• By understanding the 'why,' the patient is empowered and can be more receptive to alternative coping strategies for loneliness (e.g., phone calls, planning nurse visits).

Why Other Options Were Wrong

• Option B: This is a severe safety violation. Moving a patient with an active internal radiation source to a general ward would expose other patients, staff, and visitors to harmful radiation.
• Option C: Avoiding the patient's statement is non-therapeutic. It dismisses their valid emotional distress and fails to address the underlying issue, damaging the nurse-patient relationship.
• Option D: While the request for more visitors must be refused for safety reasons, a blunt or strict refusal without explanation is dismissive and uncaring. It fails to address the patient's feelings of isolation.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

• Nursing practice connection: Use the key finding related to Balancing psychosocial needs with safety protocols for patients undergoing internal radiation therapy (brachytherapy) to guide bedside assessment, documentation, and the next nursing action.
• A fundamental nursing responsibility is to balance patient safety with psychosocial well-being. In cases like brachytherapy, safety is the absolute priority, but emotional support cannot be neglected.
• Nurses must be skilled in therapeutic communication to explain complex safety procedures in a way that patients can understand and accept, especially when those procedures cause distress.
• What if the patient was receiving external beam radiation instead? In that case, the patient is not radioactive and does not emit radiation. There would be no need for isolation or visitor restrictions, and the nurse's intervention would focus solely on exploring the patient's feelings of loneliness and facilitating social contact.

How to Approach the Question

• First, identify the core of the question: a conflict between a patient's psychosocial need (loneliness) and a critical safety protocol (isolation for radiation).
• Analyze the options through the lens of patient safety first. Immediately eliminate any option that violates safety principles. Option B, moving the patient to a general ward, is dangerously incorrect and should be discarded.
• Next, evaluate the remaining options based on principles of therapeutic communication. Options C (avoiding) and D (strictly refusing) are non-therapeutic as they ignore or dismiss the patient's feelings.
• The best option is the one that upholds safety while also therapeutically addressing the patient's emotional state. Option A achieves this by educating the patient, which is a form of therapeutic communication that respects the patient's intelligence and validates their situation.

Concept Tested & Keywords

• Concept Tested: Balancing psychosocial needs with safety protocols for patients undergoing internal radiation therapy (brachytherapy).
• Stem keywords: internal radiation, private room, feeling alone, restricted visitors, nursing priority
• Lead-in keywords: priority intervention

Question ID

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Copy ID

Reference Book

E6 Nursing Brunner Adult Health 3SA Vol 2 Part 3 pp. 75-77, 76-78