The nurse is caring for an elderly female client who presents as being alert and oriented. In the late afternoon, the client becomes extremely agitated and confused. Which of the following responses by the nurse is most appropriate?
- A. call a family member to come and stay with the client
- B. call the health care provider and ask for an order for Xanax
- C. reorient the client and offer distraction and reassurance in a soft voice
- D. tell the client that if she does not cooperate, she will be placed in restraints
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: This behavior suggests sundowning, common in elderly clients. Reorientation and reassurance are appropriate non-pharmacological interventions.
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A client has recently been diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease. The nurse has a series of discussions with the client that are intended to help the client adjust to the disorder. Which should the nurse plan to include as part of one of these discussions?
- A. Ongoing fluid restriction
- B. The need for genetic counseling
- C. The risk of hypotensive episodes
- D. Depression regarding massive edema
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Adult polycystic kidney disease is a hereditary disorder that is inherited as an autosomal-dominant trait. Because of this, the client and the extended family should have genetic counseling. Ongoing fluid restriction is unnecessary. The client is likely to have hypertension rather than hypotension. Massive edema is not part of the clinical picture of this disorder.
The nurse provides care for a client diagnosed with Korsakoff psychosis. Which assessment finding does the nurse expect?
- A. The client's blood pressure is 180/96 mm Hg.
- B. The client has right-sided weakness.
- C. The client has tinnitus.
- D. The client invents elaborate, improbable events.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Korsakoff psychosis, often linked to chronic alcoholism, is characterized by confabulation, where clients invent elaborate but false events to fill memory gaps. Hypertension, weakness, or tinnitus are not specific to this condition.
Which comment made by the parents of a male infant who will have a surgical repair of a hernia indicates a need for further teaching by the nurse?
- A. I understand that surgery will repair the hernia.'
- B. I don't know if he will be able to father a child when he grows up.'
- C. The day nurse told me to give him sponge baths for a few days after surgery.'
- D. I'll need to buy extra diapers because we need to change them frequently now.'
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The anatomical location of a hernia frequently causes more psychological concern to the parents than does the actual condition or treatment. The remaining options all indicate accurate understanding associated with the surgery. The correct option is an incorrect comment requiring follow-up.
The spouse of a client who is scheduled for the insertion of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) expresses anxiety about what would happen if the device discharges during physical contact. Which information is most appropriate for the nurse to provide to the spouse?
- A. Physical contact should be avoided whenever possible.
- B. The spouse would not feel or be harmed by the countershock.
- C. The shock would be felt, but it would not cause the spouse any harm.
- D. A warning device sounds before countershock, so there is time to move away.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Clients and families are often fearful about the activation of the ICD. Their fears are about the device itself and also about the occurrence of life-threatening dysrhythmias that trigger its function. Family members need reassurance that, even if the device activates while they are touching the client, the level of the charge is not high enough to harm the family member, although it will be felt. The ICD emits a warning beep when the client is near magnetic fields, which could possibly deactivate it, but it does not beep before countershock.
The nurse is caring for a child who is a victim of abuse and has determined that the child uses repression to cope with past life experiences. Which activity should the nurse implement as part of the nursing care plan?
- A. Encourage the child to use therapeutic play to act out past experiences.
- B. Tell the child to let the past go and concentrate on the present and future.
- C. Place the child on medications that will help the child forget the incidents.
- D. Have the child talk about the abuse in detail during the first therapy session.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Therapeutic play is used to reduce the trauma of illness and hospitalizations. It is a nonthreatening avenue through which the child can use artwork, dolls, or puppets to act out frightening life experiences. Option 3 would be extremely threatening to the child and nontherapeutic. Options 2 and 4 devalue the child and force the child to further repress harmful past experiences rather than facing them and moving on.