You are writing a care plan for an 85-year-old patient who has community-acquired pneumonia and you note decreased breath sounds to bilateral lung bases on auscultation. What is the most appropriate nursing diagnosis for this patient?
- A. Ineffective airway clearance related to tracheobronchial secretions
- B. Pneumonia related to progression of disease process
- C. Poor ventilation related to acute lung infection
- D. Immobility related to fatigue
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Nursing diagnoses are not medical diagnoses or treatments. The most appropriate nursing diagnosis for this patient is ineffective airway clearance related to copious tracheobronchial secretions. Pneumonia and poor ventilation are not nursing diagnoses. Immobility is likely, but is less directly related to the patients admitting medical diagnosis and the nurses assessment finding.
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The nurse caring for a patient who is two days post hip replacement notifies the physician that the patients incision is red around the edges, warm to the touch, and seeping a white liquid with a foul odor. What type of problem is the nurse dealing with?
- A. Collaborative problem
- B. Nursing problem
- C. Medical problem
- D. Administrative problem
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: In addition to nursing diagnoses and their related nursing interventions, nursing practice involves certain situations and interventions that do not fall within the definition of nursing diagnoses. These activities pertain to potential problems or complications that are medical in origin and require collaborative interventions with the physician and other members of the health care team. The other answers are incorrect because the signs and symptoms of infection are a medical complication that requires interventions by the nurse.
A nurse has begun creating a patients plan of care shortly after the patients admission. It is important that the wording of the chosen nursing diagnoses falls within the taxonomy of nursing. Which organization is responsible for developing the taxonomy of a nursing diagnosis?
- A. American Nurses Association (ANA)
- B. NANDA
- C. National League for Nursing (NLN)
- D. Joint Commission
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: NANDA International is the official organization responsible for developing the taxonomy of nursing diagnoses and formulating nursing diagnoses acceptable for study. The ANA, NLN, and Joint Commission are not charged with the task of developing the taxonomy of nursing diagnoses.
During discussion with the patient and the patients husband, you discover that the patient has a living will. How does the presence of a living will influence the patients care?
- A. The patient is legally unable to refuse basic life support.
- B. The physician can override the patients desires for treatment if desires are not evidence-based.
- C. The patient may nullify the living will during her hospitalization if she chooses to do so.
- D. Power-of-attorney may change while the patient is hospitalized.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Because living wills are often written when the person is in good health, it is not unusual for the patient to nullify the living will during illness. A living will does not make a patient legally unable to refuse basic life support. The physician may disagree with the patients wishes, but he or she is ethically bound to carry out those wishes. A power-of-attorney is not synonymous with a living will.
An adult patient has requested a do not resuscitate (DNR) order in light of his recent diagnosis with late stage pancreatic cancer. The patients son and daughter-in-law are strongly opposed to the patients request. What is the primary responsibility of the nurse in this situation?
- A. Perform a slow code until a decision is made.
- B. Honor the request of the patient.
- C. Contact a social worker or mediator to intervene.
- D. Temporarily withhold nursing care until the physician talks to the family.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The nurse must honor the patients wishes and continue to provide required nursing care. Discussing the matter with the physician may lead to further communication with the family, during which the family may reconsider their decision. It is not normally appropriate for the nurse to seek the assistance of a social worker or mediator. A slow code is considered unethical.
During report, a nurse finds that she has been assigned to care for a patient admitted with an opportunistic infection secondary to AIDS. The nurse informs the clinical nurse leader that she is refusing to care for him because he has AIDS. The nurse has an obligation to this patient under which legal premise?
- A. Good Samaritan Act
- B. Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC)
- C. Patient Self-Determination Act
- D. ANA Code of Ethics
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The ethical obligation to care for all patients is clearly identified in the first statement of the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses. The Good Samaritan Act relates to lay people helping others in need. The NIC is a standardized classification of nursing treatment that includes independent and collaborative interventions. The Patient Self-Determination Act encourages people to prepare advance directives in which they indicate their wishes concerning the degree of supportive care to be provided if they become incapacitated.
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