Nokea
When assessing the skin, nurses use techniques to provide complete data and correct documentation. Which actions are appropriate during the skin assessment? Select all that apply.
- A. Comparing bilateral parts for symmetry
- B. Proceeding in a toe-to-head, systematic manner
- C. Using standard terminology to communicate and document findings
- D. Avoiding using data from the nursing history to direct the assessment
- E. Documenting only skin abnormalities on the health record
- F. When risk factors are identified, following up with a related skin assessment
Correct Answer: A,C,F
Rationale: During skin assessment, the nurse should compare bilateral parts for symmetry, use standard terminology to communicate and document findings, and perform the appropriate skin assessment when risk factors are identified. The nurse should proceed in a head-to-toe systematic manner, using cues/data from the nursing history to direct the assessment. When documenting a physical assessment of the skin, the nurse should describe exactly what is observed or palpated, including appearance, texture, size, location or distribution, and characteristics of any findings.
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An RN in a long-term care facility supervises APs as they provide hygiene to older adults. What action by the AP will the nurse correct?
- A. When providing perineal care, washing the area from front to back
- B. Insisting the older adult must take a bath or shower each day
- C. Telling the patient to avoid soaking feet, helps the patient dry between the toes
- D. Covering areas not being bathed with a bath blanket
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Older adults tend to develop dry skin; bathing frequency will change accordingly. Soaking adults' feet is not recommended. It is appropriate to keep a patient warm with bath blankets and provide perineal care washing from front to back.
A nurse is caring for an adolescent with severe acne. Which recommendations would be most appropriate to include in the teaching plan for this patient? Select all that apply.
- A. Wash the skin twice a day with a mild cleanser and warm water.
- B. Use cosmetics liberally to cover blackheads.
- C. Apply emollients on the area.
- D. Squeeze blackheads as they appear.
- E. Keep hair off the face and wash hair daily.
- F. Avoid tanning booth exposure and use sunscreen.
Correct Answer: A,E,F
Rationale: Washing the skin removes oil and debris, hair should be kept off the face and washed daily to keep oil from the hair off the face. Exposure to UV light should be avoided, especially when using acne treatments. Liberal use of cosmetics and emollients can clog the pores, worsening acne. Squeezing blackheads is discouraged because it may lead to infection.
A nurse is scheduling hygiene for patients on the unit. What is the priority the nurse uses to guide planning for patient's personal hygiene?
- A. When the patient had their most recent bath
- B. The patient's usual hygiene practices and preferences
- C. Where the bathing fits in the nurse's schedule
- D. The time that is convenient for the AP
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The patient's preferences, practices, and rituals should always be taken into consideration, unless there is a clear threat to health. The patient and nurse should work together to come to a mutually agreeable time and method to accomplish the patient's personal hygiene. The availability of staff to assist may be important, but the patient's preferences are a higher priority.
A nurse is caring for a 25-year-old patient who is unresponsive following a head injury. The patient has several piercings in the ears and nose that appear crusted and slightly inflamed. What is the most appropriate action to care for this patient's piercings?
- A. Avoiding removing or washing the piercings until the patient is responsive
- B. Rinsing the sites with warm water and remove crusts with a cotton swab
- C. Washing the sites with alcohol and apply an antibiotic ointment
- D. Removing the jewelry and allow the sites to heal over
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: When providing care for piercings, the nurse performs hand hygiene, applies gloves, then cleanses the site of all crusts and debris by rinsing the site with warm water and removing the crusts with a cotton swab. The nurse should then apply a dab of liquid-medicated cleanser, per policy, to the area, turn the jewelry back and forth to work the cleanser around the opening, rinse well, remove gloves, and perform hand hygiene. The nurse should not use alcohol, peroxide, or ointments at the site and should avoid removing piercings unless it is absolutely necessary (e.g., when an MRI is ordered.)
A nurse is about to bathe a female patient who has an IV in the forearm. The patient's gown, which does not have snaps on the sleeves, needs to be removed prior to bathing. How will the nurse proceed?
- A. Quickly disconnecting the IV tubing closest to the patient and thread it through the gown sleeve
- B. Cutting the gown with scissors to allow arm movement
- C. Threading the bag and tubing through the gown sleeve, keeping the line intact
- D. Temporarily disconnecting the tubing from the IV container, threading it through the gown
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Threading the bag and tubing through the gown sleeve maintains a closed system and prevents contamination. No matter how quickly performed, any disconnection of IV tubing results in a breach of the sterile system, creating risk for infection. Cutting a gown is not an alternative except in an emergency.