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A hospitalized patient, injured in a fall while intoxicated, believes spiders are spinning entrapping webs in the room. The patient is anxious, agitated, and diaphoretic. Which nursing intervention has priority?
- A. Check the patient every 15 minutes.
- B. Rigorously encourage fluid intake.
- C. Provide one-on-one supervision.
- D. Keep the room dimly lit.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: One-on-one supervision is necessary to promote physical safety until sedation reduces the patient's feelings of terror.
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A nurse is called to the home of a neighbor and finds an unconscious person still holding a medication bottle labeled 'lorazepam.' What is the nurse's first action?
- A. Test reflexes.
- B. Check pupils.
- C. Initiate vomiting.
- D. Establish a patent airway.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Maintaining a patent airway is the priority for an unconscious patient to prevent aspiration.
Police bring a patient to the emergency department after an automobile accident. The patient is ataxic with slurred speech and mild confusion. The blood alcohol level is 400 mg/dL. Considering the relationship between behavior and blood alcohol level, which conclusion can the nurse draw?
- A. The patient rarely drinks alcohol.
- B. The patient has a high tolerance to alcohol.
- C. The patient has been treated with disulfiram.
- D. The patient has recently ingested both alcohol and sedative drugs.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: A nontolerant drinker would be in a coma with a blood alcohol level of 400 mg/dL. The patient's ability to walk and talk suggests tolerance.
Which treatment approach is most appropriate for a patient with poor social skills who has been treated several times for substance addiction but has relapsed?
- A. 1-week detoxification program
- B. Long-term outpatient therapy
- C. 12-step self-help program
- D. Residential program
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Residential programs promote lifestyle changes and skill development, effective for those with poor social skills.
Select the nursing intervention necessary after administering naloxone to a patient experiencing an opiate overdose.
- A. Monitor the airway and vital signs every 15 minutes.
- B. Insert a nasogastric tube and test gastric pH.
- C. Treat hyperpyrexia with cooling measures.
- D. Insert an indwelling urinary catheter.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Naloxone reverses CNS depression, but monitoring is needed as narcotics outlast the antagonist.
In the emergency department, a patient's vital signs are: blood pressure (BP), 66/40 mm Hg; pulse (P), 140 beats/min (bpm); and respirations (R), 8 breaths per minute and shallow. The patient overdosed on illegally obtained hydromorphone. What is the priority outcome for this patient?
- A. Within 8 hours, vital signs will stabilize as evidenced by BP greater than 90/60 mm Hg, P less than 100 bpm, and respirations at or above 12 breaths per minute.
- B. The patient will be able to describe a plan for home care and achieve a drug-free state before being released from the emergency department.
- C. The patient will attend daily meetings of Narcotics Anonymous within 1 week of beginning treatment.
- D. The patient will identify two community resources for the treatment of substance abuse by discharge.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Stabilizing vital signs is the priority for an opiate overdose.