A hospice nurse has been caring for a patient with terminal cancer for the past 2 weeks. The nurse has implemented numerous interventions during this time with the patient, primary caregiver, and family. As the nurse assesses the effectiveness of the care plan, which of these should be the highest priority when measuring the actual outcomes with the expected patient-stated goals?

The nurse administering palliative, end-of-life care does so as part of a broad, interdisciplinary team. The care the nurse gives will include both the patient, other caregivers, and family. It will include interventions to meet physical, emotional, psychosocial, and spiritual needs as well as counseling and education for caregivers and the patient’s family. Although all of the answer choices will need to be addressed in the care plan and evaluated for effectiveness, the highest priority should be on keeping the patient pain and symptom-free at the end of life.