Nokea
A client on antiretroviral drug therapy informs the nurse about sometimes forgetting to take the medication for a few days. What should the nurse inform the client can occur when the medications are not taken as prescribed?
- A. The funding for the medications will cease if the client is not taking the meds correctly.
- B. The client is risking the development of drug resistance and drug failure.
- C. The client will have to take the drugs intravenously to ensure compliance.
- D. The client will have to take higher doses of the antiviral medications.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Clients who neglect to take antiretroviral drugs as prescribed risk development of drug resistance. When drug levels are not adequately maintained, viral replication and mutations increase. Funding will not cease for noncompliance. The medications are not all available in IV form. Taking a higher dose of the medication if missed does not resolve drug resistance.
You may also like to solve these questions
The nurse has four clients that come to the clinic for healthcare. Which client has the highest risk factor for HIV infection?
- A. a 46-year-old female who has been in a monogamous relationship for 9 years
- B. a 22-year-old heterosexual male who has had one relationship for 2 years
- C. a 34-year-old female who has donated blood on several occasions
- D. a 26-year-old inmate who receives tattoos in prison
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Contact with infected blood on body piercing, tattoo, and dental equipment places the inmate at great risk because there is not an approved method for sterilization of the equipment. The other answers do not eliminate the risk for HIV but are less likely.
A client who is HIV/AIDS positive has a prescription for laboratory tests to be performed. What precautions should the nurse observe whenever there is a risk of exposure to the blood and body fluids of an infected client?
- A. Avoid any physical contact with the client.
- B. Avoid cleaning up spilled urine and feces.
- C. Wear barrier garments for as long as possible after leaving a client's room.
- D. Transport the specimens of body fluids in leak-proof containers.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Whenever there is a risk of exposure to the blood and body fluids of an infected client, the nurse should transport these specimens in leak-proof containers. The nurse need not avoid physical contact with the client or cleaning the client's urine or stools. Barrier garments, such as face shields and glasses, should be removed soon after leaving a client's room.
A woman infected with HIV comes into the clinic. What symptoms may be the focus of a medical complaint in women infected with HIV?
- A. Rashes on the face, trunk, palms, and soles
- B. Muscle and joint pain
- C. Gynecologic problems
- D. Weight loss
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: In women with HIV, gynecologic problems, such as abnormal results of Papanicolaou tests, genital warts, pelvic inflammatory disease, and persistent vaginitis may be the focus of a majority of complaints. Acute retroviral syndrome (viremia) may be the chief complaint in one third to more than one half of those infected, not necessarily women. Its manifestations include rashes, muscle and joint pain, and weight loss.
A healthcare worker has been exposed to the blood of an HIV-positive client and is awaiting the results of an HIV test. In the meantime, what precautions must the healthcare worker take to prevent the spread of infection?
- A. Limit interactions with people who are not HIV infected.
- B. Limit interactions with people who are already HIV infected.
- C. Follow the same sexual precautions as someone who has been diagnosed with AIDS.
- D. Quit the healthcare job and get admitted to a hospital or a cancer treatment center.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The healthcare worker will be tested for HIV at regular intervals and treated with antiretrovirals depending on the results of the tests or the potential for infection. While awaiting the results, the healthcare worker should follow the same sexual precautions as someone who has been diagnosed with AIDS. The healthcare worker should not limit interactions with either non-HIV-infected or HIV-infected people. In addition, the healthcare worker should not quit and be admitted to a hospital for treatment. Treatment, if required, can begin if the result of the test is positive.
The nurse is gathering data from laboratory studies for a client who has HIV. The client's T4-cell count is 200/mm3, and the client has been diagnosed with Pneumocystis pneumonia. What does this indicate to the nurse?
- A. The client has converted from HIV infection to AIDS.
- B. The client has advanced HIV infection.
- C. The client's T4-cell count has decreased due to the Pneumocystis pneumonia.
- D. The client has another infection present that is causing a decrease in the T4-cell count.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: AIDS is the end stage of HIV infection. Certain events establish the conversion of HIV infection to AIDS: a markedly decreased T4 cell count from a normal level of 800 to 1200/mm3 and the development of certain cancers and opportunistic infections. The client does not have advanced HIV; they meet the criteria for the development of AIDS. The T4-cell count is not decreasing due to an infection.