A patient scheduled for surgery has a severe level of anxiety. Which of the following actions, if taken by the nurse, would be most appropriate at this time?
a. Providing teaching about the upcoming surgery and what to expect.
b. Telling the patient that there is nothing to worry about.
c. Calling the patient's family and demanding that they help out.
d. Asking the patient about her concerns, feelings, and perceptions about the sur-gery.
D
The most appropriate action for the nurse to take at this time is to ask the patient about her con-cerns, feelings, and perceptions about the surgery. Providing teaching during periods of high an-xiety is ineffective and does not address the patient's anxiety (Option a). Option b is giving false reassurance. In Option c, the nurse is projecting her frustration onto the family and avoiding re-sponsibility.
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A patient has a diagnosis of heart failure. When the nurse walks into his room, he is orthopneic. The patient is
a. sitting or standing in order to breathe deeply and comfortably. b. complaining of sudden awakenings from sleep because of shortness of breath. c. complaining of pain in lower extremities. d. unable to respond to simple questions.
A patient being mechanically ventilated requires increasing PEEP for worsening ARDS. The order for PEEP is now at 20 cm of H2O. The nurse will need to contact the physician immediately if which condition develops?
1. Lung sounds greater on one side than the other 2. Lung sounds with crackles 3. Diminished peripheral pulses 4. High-pressure alarm
A patient has a junctional escape rhythm on the monitor. The nurse will expect the patient to have a heart rate of _____ beats/minute
a. 15 to 20 b. 20 to 40 c. 40 to 60 d. 60 to 100
The impact of societal thinking and the resulting legislative and judicial decisions have an obvious impact on the ethical decision-making process in which ethical situation?
A) The legal definition of brain death and the issue of organ donation B) The artificial impregnation of a woman who was deemed chronically infertile. C) The client's right to withdraw approval for end of life support and intervention D) The acceptance of homosexual partners as members of a client's support system