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A nurse in the ICU is responding to a patient who has just gone into cardiac arrest. A moment later, the nurse is notified that another patient has just gone into anaphylactic shock due to a drug allergy. She is conflicted as to what to do, as she is the only nurse available at the moment to tend to both patients. Which component of a healthy work environment is lacking in this scenario?
- A. Effective decision making
- B. Appropriate staffing
- C. Authentic leadership
- D. Meaningful recognition
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is B: Appropriate staffing. In this scenario, the nurse is conflicted because she is the only nurse available to tend to both critical patients. Appropriate staffing ensures that there are enough healthcare professionals to provide timely and effective care to patients in need. In this situation, the lack of adequate staffing is evident as the nurse is overwhelmed and unable to give proper attention to both patients simultaneously. Effective decision making (choice A) can be hindered by inadequate staffing but is not the primary issue here. Authentic leadership (choice C) and meaningful recognition (choice D) are important components of a healthy work environment but are not directly related to the lack of staffing in this scenario.
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The family of your critically ill patient tells you that they h ave not spoken with the physician in over 24 hours and they have some questions that they w ant clarified. During morning rounds, you convey this concern to the attending intensivist and arrange for her to meet with the family at 4:00 PM in the conference room. Which com petency of critical care nursing does this represent?
- A. Advocacy and moral agency in solving ethical issues
- B. Clinical judgment and clinical reasoning skills
- C. Collaboration with patients, families, and team membe rs
- D. Facilitation of learning for patients, families, and team members
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The correct answer is C: Collaboration with patients, families, and team members. By addressing the family's concern about lack of communication with the physician and arranging a meeting between the intensivist and the family, the nurse is demonstrating collaboration skills in facilitating communication and ensuring the family's questions are addressed. This competency emphasizes the importance of working together with patients, families, and the healthcare team to provide optimal care.
Incorrect choices:
A: Advocacy and moral agency in solving ethical issues - While advocacy is important in nursing, in this scenario, the focus is on communication and collaboration rather than ethical issues.
B: Clinical judgment and clinical reasoning skills - Although these skills are crucial in critical care nursing, the situation described does not primarily involve clinical judgment but rather communication and collaboration.
D: Facilitation of learning for patients, families, and team members - While patient education is important, the main focus of the scenario is on addressing the family's concerns and facilitating communication, rather than educational aspects.
The nurse uses subtle measures of painful stimuli, such as nailbed pressure to elicit a response from a neurologically impaired patient. By using this meth od rather than nipple pinching, the nurse is exemplifying what ethical principle?
- A. Beneficence
- B. Fidelity
- C. Nonmaleficence
- D. Veracity
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The correct answer is C: Nonmaleficence. The nurse is demonstrating nonmaleficence by choosing a less harmful method (nailbed pressure) to assess pain in a neurologically impaired patient, instead of a more painful method (nipple pinching). Nonmaleficence is the ethical principle of avoiding harm or minimizing harm to the patient. In this scenario, the nurse is prioritizing the well-being and comfort of the patient by using a less invasive and painful method to elicit a response. Choices A, B, and D are incorrect because beneficence refers to doing good for the patient, fidelity to being loyal and maintaining trust, and veracity to truthfulness and honesty, none of which directly apply in this situation.
A 75-year-old patient, who suffered a massive stroke 3 weeks ago, has been unresponsive and
- A. The primary health care provider has approached the spouse regarding placement of a perma nent feeding tube. The spouse states that the patient never wanted to be kept alive by tub es and personally didn’t want what was being done. After holding a family conference with th e spouse, the medical team concurs and the feeding tube is not placed. What term would be used to describe this situation?
- B. Euthanasia
- C. Palliative care
- D. Withdrawal of life support
Correct Answer: E
Rationale: Step 1: The scenario describes a decision made based on the patient's previously expressed wishes.
Step 2: The decision aligns with the principle of respecting patient autonomy.
Step 3: The term that best describes this situation is "Advance Directive."
Summary:
- A: Incorrect, as it involves actively ending the patient's life without their consent.
- B: Incorrect, as euthanasia involves intentionally causing death to relieve suffering.
- C: Incorrect, as palliative care focuses on improving quality of life for the patient.
- D: Incorrect, as withdrawal of life support involves discontinuing medical interventions, not honoring the patient's wishes.
A patient’s status deteriorates and mechanical ventilation i s now required. The pulmonologist wants the patient to receive 10 breaths/min from the ventilaabtirobr.c bomu/tt ewst ants to encourage the patient to breathe spontaneously in between the mechanical breaths at his own tidal volume. This mode of ventilation is referred to by what term?
- A. Assist/control ventilation
- B. Controlled ventilation
- C. Intermittent mandatory ventilation
- D. Positive end-expiratory pressure
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Rationale:
1. Intermittent Mandatory Ventilation (IMV) allows the patient to breathe spontaneously between the preset mechanical breaths.
2. It provides a set number of breaths per minute while allowing the patient to initiate additional breaths at their own tidal volume.
3. IMV is a partial ventilatory support mode, providing a balance between controlled and spontaneous breathing.
4. Assist/Control Ventilation (A) provides full support with every breath initiated by the patient or the ventilator.
5. Controlled Ventilation (B) does not allow for spontaneous breaths by the patient.
6. Positive End-Expiratory Pressure (D) is a separate mode focusing on maintaining positive pressure at the end of expiration, not providing breaths.
The nurse notes thick, white secretions in the endotracheal tube (ET) of a patient who is receiving mechanical ventilation. Which intervention will be most effective in addressing this problem?
- A. Increase suctioning to every hour.
- B. Reposition the patient every 1 to 2 hours.
- C. Add additional water to the patient’s enteral feedings.
- D. Instill 5 mL of sterile saline into the ET before suctioning.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The correct answer is D: Instill 5 mL of sterile saline into the ET before suctioning. This intervention helps to loosen and mobilize the thick secretions, making them easier to remove during suctioning. It is important to moisten the secretions to prevent mucosal damage and trauma during suctioning.
A: Increasing suctioning frequency can lead to mucosal damage and increased risk of infection.
B: Repositioning helps with ventilation and preventing pressure injuries, but it does not directly address the thick secretions.
C: Adding water to enteral feedings will not directly address the thick secretions in the ET.
In summary, instilling sterile saline into the ET before suctioning is the most effective intervention as it helps to loosen and mobilize thick secretions, making suctioning more effective and reducing the risk of mucosal damage.