Chronic Illness Nursing Questions

Chronic Illness Nursing Questions Related

Review Chronic Illness Nursing Questions related questions and content

A client in the oncology clinic reports her family is frustrated at her ongoing fatigue 4 months after radiation therapy for breast cancer. What response by the nurse is most appropriate?

  • A. Are you getting adequate rest and sleep each day?
  • B. It is normal to be fatigued even for years afterward.
  • C. This is not normal and I'll let the provider know.
  • D. Try adding more vitamins B and C to your diet.
Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Radiation therapy, commonly used for breast cancer, can cause persistent fatigue as a side effect due to cellular damage and the body's prolonged healing process. This fatigue can last for months or even years post-treatment, varying by individual factors like radiation dose and overall health. Telling the client it's normal validates her experience, reduces anxiety, and helps her family understand this as a common outcome rather than a personal failing. Asking about rest is useful but doesn't address the family's frustration or provide context. Declaring it abnormal and escalating to the provider is inaccurate unless other symptoms suggest a new issue, potentially causing unnecessary worry. Suggesting vitamins lacks evidence for resolving radiation-induced fatigue and shifts focus from education. The nurse's role here is to reassure and educate, making the normalization of long-term fatigue the most appropriate response, fostering coping and support within the family.

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A child is seen in the pediatrician's office for complaints of bone and joint pain. Which other assessment finding may indicate leukemia?

  • A. Abdominal pain
  • B. Increased activity level
  • C. Increased appetite
  • D. Petechiae
Correct Answer: D

Rationale: Leukemia often presents with bone and joint pain due to marrow infiltration by leukemic cells, but petechiae small red or purple spots from minor bleeds under the skin are a key additional sign of bleeding tendencies from thrombocytopenia, a common leukemia consequence. This reflects bone marrow failure to produce adequate platelets, making it a critical finding for nurses to note during assessment. Abdominal pain might occur from organ enlargement (e.g., splenomegaly), but it's less specific and not a primary complaint here. Increased activity level and appetite contradict leukemia's typical fatigue and anorexia due to metabolic demands of proliferating cells and anemia. Recognizing petechiae prompts urgent blood work and referral, aligning with nursing's role in early detection of pediatric leukemia, ensuring timely intervention to manage this life-threatening condition effectively.

Risk factors for developing COPD include:

  • A. Seasonal respiratory conditions and family history of emphysema
  • B. Age, high fat diet and sedentary lifestyle
  • C. History of cardiovascular and autoimmune conditions
  • D. Indoor and outdoor air pollution
Correct Answer: D

Rationale: COPD risk factors center on chronic airway damage. Seasonal respiratory conditions may exacerbate, not cause, COPD, though family history of emphysema suggests genetic risk (e.g., alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency), but it's less primary than exposure. Age is a factor as lung function declines naturally, but high fat diet and sedentary lifestyle are more linked to obesity or cardiovascular disease, not directly COPD. Cardiovascular and autoimmune histories don't drive COPD etiology smoking and pollution do. Indoor (e.g., biomass smoke) and outdoor air pollution (e.g., particulates) are major irritants, causing inflammation and irreversible airflow limitation, per Deravin and Anderson (2019). Pollution's role is critical globally, especially in occupational or urban settings, outweighing secondary factors by directly triggering the chronic inflammatory cascade defining COPD pathogenesis.

In order to provide optimal management and prevent deterioration, the patient needs to be educated in selfmanagement of their condition. Which of the following are not elements of self-management?

  • A. Engaging in activities that promote health
  • B. Managing COPD by monitoring signs and symptoms
  • C. Weekly visits with the medical practitioner
  • D. Following a treatment plan
Correct Answer: C

Rationale: COPD self-care health habits, symptom checks, plan adherence empowers patients. Weekly doc visits? Overkill, not core self-management cuts reliance. Nurses teach this, a chronic autonomy boost.

External-beam radiation is planned for a patient with cervical cancer. What instructions should the nurse give to the patient to prevent complications from the effects of the radiation?

  • A. Test all stools for the presence of blood.
  • B. Maintain a high-residue, high-fiber diet.
  • C. Clean the perianal area carefully after every bowel movement.
  • D. Inspect the mouth and throat daily for the appearance of thrush.
Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Cervical radiation hits the pelvis diarrhea's a beast from bowel irritation. Gentle perianal cleaning stops skin breakdown and infection, a must-do. Stool blood happens but isn't routine to test diarrhea's expected. High-fiber worsens it low-residue's better. Thrush is oral, not pelvic radiation's turf. Nurses in oncology push this hygiene tip, keeping skin intact amid radiation's gut chaos.

Which stage of liver damage is irreversible?

  • A. Cirrhosis
  • B. Fibrosis
  • C. Inflammation
  • D. Steatosis
Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Cirrhosis scars for keeps fibrosis might bend, inflammation fades, steatosis lifts, but end-stage knots stay. Nurses mark this, a chronic liver lock.

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