The nurse provides care for a client diagnosed with bulimia. Which nursing action is most helpful in determining what precipitates the client'sEating disorder?
- A. Observe the family communication patterns at a monitored mealtime.
- B. Distract the client at mealtimes.
- C. Assign the client a food/feelings/thoughts action journal.
- D. Ask the client to write a history of eating behaviors.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: A food/feelings/thoughts journal helps identify triggers and patterns associated with binge-purge behaviors, providing insight into precipitants. Observing family dynamics is useful but less direct, and distraction or history-writing are less focused on current triggers.
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A client is telling the nurse about his perception of his thought patterns. Which of the following statements by the client would validate the diagnosis of bipolar disorder?
- A. Sometimes I'm ready to take on the world, but other times I'm too tired to get out of bed.
- B. I need to check and then recheck all the kitchen appliances several times to make sure they are off before I feel comfortable leaving my home.
- C. My neighbors hold sacrificial rites in their backyard.
- D. I keep on patrol all night so the enemy won't invade my home and hurt me or my family.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: This statement describes mood swings between mania and depression, characteristic of bipolar disorder.
A client diagnosed with diabetes mellitus has expressed frustration with learning the diabetic regimen and insulin administration. Which should be the initial action by the home care nurse?
- A. Attempt to identify the cause of the frustration.
- B. Call the primary health care provider to discuss the client's problem.
- C. Offer to administer the insulin on a daily basis until the client is ready to learn.
- D. Continue with teaching, knowing that the client will overcome any frustrations.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The home care nurse must determine what is causing the client's frustration. The issue needs to be addressed by the nurse before involving the provider. Administering the insulin provides only a short-term solution. Continuing to teach may only further block the learning process.
A client diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma of the left kidney is scheduled for a nephrectomy. The right kidney appears to be normal at this time. The client is anxious about whether dialysis will ultimately be a necessity. Which information should the nurse initially provide to the client?
- A. It is very likely that the client will need dialysis within 5 to 10 years.
- B. One kidney is adequate to meet the needs of the body, as long as it has normal function.
- C. There is absolutely no chance of the client needing dialysis because of the nature of the surgery.
- D. Dialysis could become likely, but it depends on how well the client complies with fluid restriction after surgery.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Fears about having only one functioning kidney are common among clients who must undergo nephrectomy for renal cancer. These clients need emotional support and reassurance that the remaining kidney should be able to fully meet the body's metabolic needs as long as it has normal function. This information supports that the remaining options are inaccurate.
The nurse is caring for a teenage client diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. The client's mother asks the nurse about eating disorders in general. Which information would the nurse provide? Select all that apply.
- A. Anorexia nervosa is more common than bulimia.
- B. Clients with bulimia may have erosion of the tooth enamel.
- C. Binging and purging can occur in both anorexia nervosa and bulimia.
- D. Extreme exercising and calorie restriction is common with anorexia nervosa.
- E. Clients with eating disorders may develop the disorders because of issues of power and control.
- F. Clients with anorexia have a distorted body image and think that they are fat even if they are very thin.
Correct Answer: B,C,D,E,F
Rationale: Bulimia is more common than anorexia, making A incorrect. Tooth enamel erosion, binging/purging, extreme exercising, power/control issues, and distorted body image are all accurate.
During the admission assessment of a client with a history of alcohol abuse for diagnosis of ruptured esophageal varices, the client says, 'I deserve this. I brought it on myself.' Which response is most therapeutic for the nurse to make to the client?
- A. Would you like to talk to the chaplain?
- B. Is there some reason you feel you deserve this?
- C. Not all esophageal varices are caused by alcohol.
- D. That is something to think about when you leave the hospital.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Ruptured esophageal varices are often a complication of cirrhosis of the liver, and the most common type of cirrhosis is caused by chronic alcohol abuse. It is important to obtain an accurate history regarding the client's alcohol intake. If the client is ashamed or embarrassed, he or she may not respond accurately. Option 2 is open-ended and allows the client to discuss his or her feelings about drinking. Option 1 blocks the nurse-client communication process. Options 3 and 4 are somewhat judgmental.
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