CT End-of-Life Care & Support 3

Question 1

Which federal law in the United States established the right of patients to create advance directives and be informed about them upon hospital admission?

Accepted Answer

The Patient Self-Determination Act (PSDA) of 1990

Answer

The PSDA of 1990 mandated that healthcare facilities receiving Medicare/Medicaid funding inform patients of their right to create advance directives.

Question 2

A thanatologist is supporting a patient from a cultural background where decisions are traditionally made collectively by the family rather than the individual. The most culturally competent approach is to:

Accepted Answer

Explore the patient's own preferences about decision-making roles

Answer

Cultural competence requires exploring each patient's individual preferences, which may or may not align with collectivist cultural norms.

Question 3

The Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) differs from a standard advance directive primarily because it:

Accepted Answer

Constitutes actual medical orders that must be followed by emergency responders

Answer

POLST is a medical order set, not just a directive, making it immediately actionable by emergency medical services and other healthcare providers.

Question 4

Which of the following best describes the role of a thanatologist in an interdisciplinary hospice team?

Accepted Answer

Providing grief support, education, and psychosocial care to patients and families

Answer

Thanatologists contribute psychosocial, educational, and grief support expertise to interdisciplinary teams, complementing medical and nursing care.

Question 5

Palliative sedation at end of life is ethically distinguished from euthanasia primarily by:

Accepted Answer

The intention—relieving suffering vs. causing death

Answer

The doctrine of double effect holds that palliative sedation aims to relieve refractory suffering, not hasten death, distinguishing it ethically from euthanasia.

(CT) Certified Thanatologist Practice Test

(CT) Certified Thanatologist Practice Test

CT End-of-Life Care & Support 3