PATIENT CARE STUDY
Read the following patient care study and use
your nursing process skills to answer the
questions below.
Scenario:Jeffrey Stein, a 31-year-old attorney,
is in a step-down unit following his transfer
from the cardiac care unit, where he was
treated for a massive heart attack. “Bad hearts
run in my family, but I never thought it would
happen to me,” he says. “I jog several times a
week and work out at the gym, eat a low-fat
diet, and I don’t smoke.” Jeffrey is 5 feet 7
inches tall, weighs about 150 pounds, and
is well built. During his second night in the
step-down unit, he is unable to sleep and tells
the nurse, “I’ve really got a lot on my mind
tonight. I can’t stop thinking about how close
I was to death. If I wasn’t with someone who
knew how to do CPR when I keeled over, I
probably wouldn’t be here today.” Gentle
questioning reveals that Mr. Stein is worried
about what would have happened had he
died. “I don’t think I’ve ever thought seriously
about my mortality, and I sure don’t think
much about God. My parents were semiobser-
vant Jews, but I don’t go to synagogue myself.
I celebrate the holidays, but that’s about all. If
there is a God, I wonder what He thinks about
me.” He asks if there is a rabbi or anyone he
can talk with in the morning who could
answer some questions for him and perhaps
help him get himself back on track. “For the
last couple of years, all I’ve been concernedabout is paying off my school debts and mak-
ing money. I guess there’s a whole lot more to
life, and maybe this was my invitation to sort
out my priorities.”
1.Identify pertinent patient data by placing a
single underline beneath the objective data in
the patient care study and a double underline
beneath the subjective data.
2.Complete the Nursing Process Worksheet on
page 326 to develop a three-part diagnostic
statement and related plan of care for this
patient.
3.Write down the patient and personal nursing
strengths you hope to draw upon as you assist
this patient to better health.
Patient strengths:Personal strengths:4.Pretend that you are performing a nursing
assessment of this patient after the plan of
care is implemented. Document your findings.CHAPTER 46 SPIRITUALITY 325
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