In caring for a patient with a fetal anomaly such as anencephaly who wishes to donate neonatal organs after death, the nurse should

In caring for a patient with a fetal anomaly such as anencephaly who wishes to donate neonatal organs after death, the nurse should

• A. Respect the patient's religious beliefs and do nothing else
• B. Advise against organ donation
• C. Explore own feelings about the issues of anencephaly and organ donation
• D. Encourage immediate palliative care

Answer: (C)

The main idea is nurse self-awareness and providing nonjudgmental support when a patient or family expresses a request as ethically sensitive as organ donation after a severe fetal anomaly. Explaining why this is best: before you can help the patient or family make an informed decision, you must look inward at your own beliefs and emotions about anencephaly and organ donation. By exploring your own reactions, you prevent personal biases from shaping how you present information, counsel, or support the patient. This keeps care patient-centered, respects the patient’s autonomy, and allows you to provide accurate information and empathetic support without imposing your values. In practice, this means acknowledging how you feel, seeking supervision if the feelings are strong, and then facilitating the discussion, offering resources and referrals (such as organ donation coordinators) while honoring the patient’s beliefs and wishes. The other options would either ignore the patient’s autonomy, impose a value judgment, or prematurely close the conversation about options.

The main idea is nurse self-awareness and providing nonjudgmental support when a patient or family expresses a request as ethically sensitive as organ donation after a severe fetal anomaly.

Explaining why this is best: before you can help the patient or family make an informed decision, you must look inward at your own beliefs and emotions about anencephaly and organ donation. By exploring your own reactions, you prevent personal biases from shaping how you present information, counsel, or support the patient. This keeps care patient-centered, respects the patient’s autonomy, and allows you to provide accurate information and empathetic support without imposing your values.

In practice, this means acknowledging how you feel, seeking supervision if the feelings are strong, and then facilitating the discussion, offering resources and referrals (such as organ donation coordinators) while honoring the patient’s beliefs and wishes. The other options would either ignore the patient’s autonomy, impose a value judgment, or prematurely close the conversation about options.