Nokea
A nurse is developing the teaching portion of a care plan for a patient with COPD. What would be the most important component for the nurse to emphasize?
- A. Smoking up to one-half of a pack of cigarettes weekly is allowable.
- B. Chronic inhalation of indoor toxins can cause lung damage.
- C. Minor respiratory infections are considered to be self-limited and are not treated.
- D. Activities of daily living (ADLs) should be clustered in the early morning hours.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Environmental risk factors for COPD include prolonged and intense exposure to occupational dusts and chemicals, indoor air pollution, and outdoor air pollution. Smoking cessation should be taught to all patients who are currently smoking. Minor respiratory infections that are of no consequence to the person with normal lungs can produce fatal disturbances in the lungs of the person with emphysema. ADLs should be paced throughout the day to permit patients to perform these without excessive distress.
You may also like to solve these questions
A pediatric nurse practitioner is caring for a child who has just been diagnosed with asthma. The nurse has provided the parents with information that includes potential causative agents for an asthmatic reaction. What potential causative agent should the nurse describe?
- A. Pets
- B. Lack of sleep
- C. Psychosocial stress
- D. Bacteria
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Common causative agents that may trigger an asthma attack are as follows: dust, dust mites, pets, soap, certain foods, molds, and pollens. Lack of sleep, stress, and bacteria are not common triggers for asthma attacks.
A nurse is admitting a new patient who has been admitted with a diagnosis of COPD exacerbation. How can the nurse best help the patient achieve the goal of maintaining effective oxygenation?
- A. Teach the patient strategies for promoting diaphragmatic breathing.
- B. Administer supplementary oxygen by simple face mask.
- C. Teach the patient to perform airway suctioning.
- D. Assist the patient in developing an appropriate exercise program.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The breathing pattern of most people with COPD is shallow, rapid, and inefficient; the more severe the disease, the more inefficient the breathing pattern. With practice, this type of upper chest breathing can be changed to diaphragmatic breathing, which reduces the respiratory rate, increases alveolar ventilation, and sometimes helps expel as much air as possible during expiration. Suctioning is not normally necessary in patients with COPD. Supplementary oxygen is not normally delivered by simple face mask and exercise may or may not be appropriate.
An asthma educator is teaching a patient newly diagnosed with asthma and her family about the use of a peak flow meter. The educator should teach the patient that a peak flow meter measures what value?
- A. Highest airflow during a forced inspiration
- B. Highest airflow during a forced expiration
- C. Airflow during a normal inspiration
- D. Airflow during a normal expiration
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Peak flow meters measure the highest airflow during a forced expiration.
An asthma nurse educator is working with a group of adolescent asthma patients. What intervention is most likely to prevent asthma exacerbations among these patients?
- A. Encouraging patients to carry a corticosteroid rescue inhaler at all times
- B. Educating patients about recognizing and avoiding asthma triggers
- C. Teaching patients to utilize alternative therapies in asthma management
- D. Ensuring that patients keep their immunizations up to date
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Asthma exacerbations are best managed by early treatment and education, including the use of written action plans as part of any overall effort to educate patients about self-management techniques, especially those with moderate or severe persistent asthma or with a history of severe exacerbations. Corticosteroids are not used as rescue inhalers. Alternative therapies are not normally a high priority, though their use may be appropriate in some cases. Immunizations should be kept up to date, but this does not necessarily prevent asthma exacerbations.
The case manager for a group of patients with COPD is providing health education. What is most important for the nurse to assess when providing instructions on self-management to these patients?
- A. Knowledge of alternative treatment modalities
- B. Family awareness of functional ability and activities of daily living (ADLs)
- C. Knowledge of the pathophysiology of the disease process
- D. Knowledge about self-care and their therapeutic regimen
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: When providing instructions about self-management, it is important for the nurse to assess the knowledge of patients and family members about self-care and the therapeutic regimen. This supersedes knowledge of alternative treatments or the pathophysiology of the disease, neither of which is absolutely necessary for patients to know. The patients own knowledge is more important than that of the family.