CT End-of-Life Care & Support 2

Question 1

Which principle of palliative care specifically addresses the importance of treating the patient as a whole person rather than focusing solely on the disease?

Accepted Answer

Holistic care

Answer

Holistic care in palliative settings addresses the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions of a patient's experience.

Question 2

A patient with terminal cancer asks their thanatologist, 'Why is this happening to me?' This question most likely reflects which dimension of suffering?

Accepted Answer

Existential or spiritual suffering

Answer

Questions about the meaning and reason for suffering are hallmarks of existential or spiritual distress common near end of life.

Question 3

When a dying patient's family requests that the patient not be told their prognosis, the thanatologist's primary ethical obligation is to:

Accepted Answer

Explore the patient's own wishes regarding information disclosure

Answer

Patient autonomy requires first assessing what the patient wants to know, rather than defaulting to family or physician preferences.

Question 4

The 'good death' concept in thanatology most commonly includes which of the following elements?

Accepted Answer

Dying with a sense of meaning, comfort, and dignity

Answer

A 'good death' is widely understood to involve comfort, dignity, meaningful relationships, and a sense of personal control.

Question 5

Which tool is most commonly used by hospice teams to assess and communicate a dying patient's symptom burden across multiple domains?

Accepted Answer

Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS)

Answer

The ESAS is a widely used validated tool in palliative care for rating the severity of nine common symptoms in seriously ill patients.

(CT) Certified Thanatologist Practice Test

(CT) Certified Thanatologist Practice Test

CT End-of-Life Care & Support 2