Nokea
The home health nurse receives a referral from the hospital for a patient who needs a home visit for wound care. After obtaining the referral, what would be the first action the nurse should take?
- A. Have community services make contact with the patient.
- B. Obtain a physicians order for the visit.
- C. Call the patient to obtain permission to visit.
- D. Arrange for a home health aide to initially visit the patient.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: After receiving a referral, the first step is to call the patient and obtain permission to make the visit. Then the nurse should schedule the visit and verify the address. A physicians order is not necessary to schedule a visit with the patient. The nurse may identify community services or the need for a home health aide after assessing the patient and the home environment during the first visit with the patient. This would not be delegated to a home health aide.
You may also like to solve these questions
A home health nurse is collaborating with a hospice nurse in order to transfer the care of a woman who has a diagnosis of lung cancer. To qualify for hospice care, the patient must meet what criterion?
- A. The patient must be medically inappropriate for hospital care.
- B. The patient must be in the final six months of his or her life.
- C. The patients family must demonstrate that they are unable to provide care.
- D. The patient must have a diagnosis that is associated with high morbidity and mortality.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Patients are eligible for hospice care services if they are determined to be within the final 6 months of life. Eligibility is not determined on the basis of the familys inability to provide care and it is not determined by whether the patient can or cannot receive care in a hospital setting.
You are a school nurse who will work with an incoming kindergarten student who has a diagnosis of cerebral palsy. Why would you make a home visit before school starts?
- A. To provide anticipatory guidance to the family
- B. To assess the safety of the childs assistive devices
- C. To arrange for a teaching aide to work with the child
- D. To provide follow-up care after the childs clinic visit
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Public health, parish, and school nurses may make visits to provide anticipatory guidance to high-risk families and follow-up care to patients with communicable diseases. The other answers are incorrect because they are not functions of the school nurse.
Infection control is a high priority in every setting where nursing care is provided. When performing a home visit, how should the nurse best implement the principles of infection control?
- A. Perform hand hygiene before and after giving direct patient care.
- B. Remove the patients wound dressings from the home promptly.
- C. Disinfect the patients syringes prior to disposal.
- D. Establish a sterile field in the patients home before providing care.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Infection control is as important in the home as it is in the hospital, but it can be more challenging in the home and requires creative approaches. As in any situation, it is important to clean ones hands before and after giving direct patient care, even in a home that does not have running water. Removing the wound dressings from the home and disinfecting all work areas in the home are not the best implementations of infection control in the home. Used syringes are never disinfected and a sterile field is not always necessary.
There are specific legal guidelines and regulations for the documentation related to home care. When providing care for a patient who is a Medicaid recipient, what is most important for the nurse to document?
- A. The medical diagnosis and the supplies needed to care for the patient
- B. A summary of the patients income tax paid during the previous year
- C. The specific quality of nursing care that is needed
- D. The patients homebound status and the specific need for skilled nursing care
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Medicare, Medicaid, and third-party payers require documentation of the patients homebound status and the need for skilled professional nursing care. The medical diagnosis and specific detailed information on the functional limitations of the patient are usually part of the documentation. The other answers are incorrect because nursing documentation does not include needed supplies, tax information, or the quality of care needed.
A home health nurse is making a visit to a new patient who is receiving home care following a mastectomy. During the visit, the patients husband arrives home in an intoxicated state and speaks to both you and the patient in an abusive manner. What is your best response?
- A. Ignore the husband and focus on the patient.
- B. Return to your agency and notify your supervisor.
- C. Call the police from your cell phone.
- D. Remove the patient from the home immediately.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: If a dangerous situation is encountered during a visit, the nurse should return to the agency and contact his or her supervisor or law enforcement officials, or both. Ignoring the husband or calling the police while in the home or attempting to remove the patient from the home could further endanger you and the patient.