What should a nurse assess before initiating life-sustaining measures for a client with advance directives?

Before initiating life-sustaining measures for a client with advance directives, it is essential to assess the client's documented wishes regarding treatment. Advance directives are legal documents that outline a person's preferences for medical care if they become unable to communicate those wishes themselves. This could include decisions about resuscitation, mechanical ventilation, and other life-sustaining treatments.

Understanding and honoring these wishes is crucial in providing ethical and appropriate care, ensuring that the treatment aligns with the client's values and desires. This approach respects the autonomy of the client and helps to guide medical decisions in accordance with their predetermined preferences.

While considering the nurse's personal beliefs, family support, and recent changes in the client's condition are also important factors in holistic care, they are secondary to the necessity of recognizing and validating the client's own wishes as detailed in their advance directives. Therefore, reviewing the documented wishes is paramount before any life-sustaining measures are taken.