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A client who is terminally ill has been receiving high doses of an opioid analgesic for the past month. As death approaches and the client becomes unresponsive to verbal stimuli, what orders would the nurse expect from the health care provider?
- A. Decrease the analgesic dosage by half
- B. Discontinue the analgesic
- C. Continue the same analgesic dosage
- D. Prescribe a less potent drug
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Continue the same analgesic dosage. Dying patients who have been in chronic pain will probably continue to experience pain even though they cannot communicate their experience. Pain medication should be continued at the same dose, if effective.
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The nurse is caring for an adult who has myasthenia gravis and is prescribed neostigmine. Which drug should the nurse plan to have readily available because the client is taking neostigmine?
- A. Atropine
- B. Vitamin K
- C. Protamine sulfate
- D. Calcium gluconate
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Neostigmine, a cholinesterase inhibitor, can cause cholinergic crisis; atropine, an anticholinergic, is the antidote to reverse excessive muscarinic effects.
The nurse is caring for a four-year-old child with a closed head injury. The nurse would be reassured by which of the following observations?
- A. The child is able to state his name when asked who he is.
- B. The child reaches for a stuffed animal brought from home.
- C. The child maintains himself in opisthotonos.
- D. The child withdraws from mildly painful stimuli.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Stating his name indicates orientation, a positive sign post-head injury. Options B, C, and D are less reassuring: reaching for a toy is nonspecific, opisthotonos suggests meningeal irritation, and withdrawal may occur in unconscious states.
The nurse discusses symptoms of the onset of labor with a 26-year-old primipara. Which of the following statements, if made by the client to the nurse, indicates a need for further teaching?
- A. I will note an increase in fetal movement.
- B. I may feel a gush of fluid run down my legs.
- C. I may see some blood in my vaginal discharge.
- D. I may experience a low backache.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Fetal movement decreases at labor onset due to limited space; expecting an increase indicates misunderstanding. Options B, C, and D are correct labor signs.
An 8-year-old girl has a closed transverse fracture of her right ulna.
Which of the following actions, if performed by the nurse before the application of a cast, is MOST important?
- A. Check the radial pulses bilaterally and compare.
- B. Evaluate the skin temperature and tissue turgor in the area.
- C. Assess sensation of each foot while the girl closes her eyes.
- D. Apply baby powder to decrease skin irritation under the cast.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Strategy: Answers are a mix of assessments and implementations. Does this situation require assessment? Yes. (1) correct-assess neurovascular status, check pain, pallor, paralysis, paresthesia, pulselessness (2) assessment, temperature indicates decreased circulation, but is subjective and not most important (3) assessment, upper (not lower) extremity fracture (4) implementation, should not be done because it would increase skin irritation
Which contraindication should the nurse assess for prior to giving a child immunizations?
- A. Mild cold symptoms
- B. Chronic asthma
- C. Depressed immune system
- D. Allergy to eggs
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Depressed immune system. Children who have a depressed immune system related to HIV or chemotherapy should not be given routine immunizations.