The nurse is assessing the mental status of a client admitted with possible organic brain disorder. Which of these questions will best assess the functioning of the client's recent memory?
- A. Name the year. What season is this?
- B. Subtract 7 from 100 and then subtract 7 from that. Now continue to subtract 7 from the new number.
- C. I am going to say the names of three things and I want you to repeat them after me: blue, ball, pen.
- D. What is this on my wrist? Then ask, What is the purpose of it?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: I am going to say the names of three things and I want you to repeat them after me: blue, ball, pen. This tests immediate recall, a component of recent memory.
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The preoperative client is from a different country and tells the nurse that his family will be coming for a prayer service. Eighteen persons arrive and start chanting in the client's semiprivate room. What is the best response for the nurse?
- A. Explain that visitors are limited to two per client
- B. Ask the client's roommate if he/she objects to so many persons in the room
- C. Ignore the large number of people and the chanting
- D. Arrange for the group to go to the conference room or the chapel
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Arranging for a private space respects cultural practices while minimizing disruption to the roommate, balancing sensitivity and practicality.
After sustaining a closed head injury and numerous lacerations and abrasions to the face and neck, a five-year-old child is admitted to the emergency room.
- A. Which assessment finding three hours after admission should be reported to the physician for a five-year-old with a closed head injury?
- B. The client has slight edema of the eyelids.
- C. There is clear fluid draining from the client’s right ear.
- D. There is some bleeding from the child’s lacerations.
- E. The client withdraws in response to painful stimuli.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Clear fluid draining from the ear suggests cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage due to a meningeal rupture, a serious complication that risks meningitis and requires immediate reporting. Eyelid edema, minor bleeding, and withdrawal to pain are less urgent or expected findings.
A male client is preparing for discharge following an acute myocardial infarction. He asks the nurse about his sexual activity once he is home. What would be the nurse's initial response?
- A. Give him written material from the American Heart Association about sexual activity with heart disease
- B. Answer his questions accurately in a private environment
- C. Schedule a private, uninterrupted teaching session with both the client and his wife
- D. Assess the client's knowledge about his health problems
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The nursing process is continuous and cyclical in nature. When a client expresses a specific concern, the nurse performs a focused assessment to gather additional data prior to planning and implementing nursing interventions.
The nurse is to remove an indwelling urinary catheter from an adult client. Which step should be done first?
- A. Cut the catheter with scissors.
- B. Withdraw the fluid from the balloon.
- C. Clamp the catheter.
- D. Remove the catheter.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Withdrawing fluid from the balloon deflates it, allowing safe catheter removal without urethral trauma. Cutting, clamping, or pulling without deflation risks injury.
An adult has experienced significant vomiting and diarrhea for the past 24 hours. Her chloride level is 90 mEq/L. What would the nurse expect to find when interpreting her sodium level?
- A. It would be high.
- B. It is impossible to predict the sodium level with this information.
- C. It would be low.
- D. It would be normal.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Vomiting and diarrhea cause sodium loss, likely resulting in a low sodium level, consistent with a low chloride level.
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