What is the main purpose of documentation in the medical record?
1. It is used to communicate patient condition to the health care team.
2. It records patient information for future research studies.
3. It verifies the dates of patient admission.
4. It ensures all charges are validly documented for third party payers.
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Rationale: The medical record serves all of the functions listed, but its primary purpose is to communicate assessment, treatment, and results of treatments to those associated with the patient's care.
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The nurse is caring for several patients who have been exposed to various types of poisoning. Which of the following interventions by the nurse would be most inappropriate for the specified toxic (poisoning) situation?
a. Activated charcoal; heavy metal poisoning b. Gastric lavage; overdose of pills 30 minutes ago c. Whole bowel irrigation; ingestion of lead d. Surface decontamination; exposure of skin to topical toxicants
A 70-year-old patient is sunburned over much of the body. What self-care technique is MOST important to emphasize to an older adult to deal with the effects of sunburn?
1. increasing fluid intake 2. applying mild lotions 3. taking mild analgesics 4. maintaining warmth
A patient with a penetrating traumatic head injury has a Glasgow Coma Scale of 9. The nurse realizes that what will most likely be implemented for this patient?
1. Prophylactic hypothermia treatment 2. High-dose barbiturate therapy 3. Intubation 4. Prophylactic anticonvulsant therapy
A nurse orients a graduate nurse to a gerontology unit. Which of the following statements, if made by the graduate nurse, shows understanding of normal age-related changes of sleep patterns?
A) Older adults need for 10% to 20% more sleep than younger adults. B) Older adults have fewer sleep cycles during the night. C) Older adults fall asleep faster and staying asleep longer than younger adults. D) Older adults spend less time in deep sleep.