The nurse is caring for a terminally ill patient. In order to provide optimal care, the nurse tries to anticipate patient needs. What does the nurse understand about this patient?
a. As patients approach death, they breathe more through their nose.
b. Eye blinking may increase as well as tear production.
c. Immobility and opioid medications can lead to diarrhea.
d. Anxiety in the dying may have a physical cause.
D
Anxiety has physical causes such as shortness of breath, pain, fear of death, spiritual concerns, and relationship concerns. As patients approach death, they breathe through the mouth, the ton-gue becomes dry, and lips become dry and cracked. Blinking reflexes diminish near death; and eyes often remain open, causing drying of cornea. Opioid medications and immobility slow pe-ristalsis.
You might also like to view...
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) mimics rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. The nurse working with injured soldiers knows that EMDR is an intervention suggested for the treatment of:
1. Bipolar I. 2. Childhood-onset trauma victims. 3. Dissociative identity disorder. 4. Depression.
The patient asks the nurse why generic drugs would be used and voices concerns that only the brand name product will be safe. What is the nurse's best response?
A) "Generic drugs are often less expensive." B) "Some quality control problems have been found with generic drugs." C) "Most generic drugs are very safe and can be cost effective as well." D) "Although initial cost is higher for a brand name it may cost less in the long run."
Which person is most at risk for a hypersensitivity reaction?
a. 26-year-old receiving his second desensitization injection b. 35-year-old starting back on birth control tablets c. The 52-year-old started on a new series of Pyridium for cystitis d. The 84-year-old receiving penicillin for an annually recurring respiratory infection
The clinical educator of a hospital medical unit has the mandate of establishing evidence-based practice guidelines for the nursing care on the unit. Which of the following statements most accurately captures a guiding principle of the nurse's task?
A) Evidence-based practice guidelines will be rooted in research rather than nurses' subjective practice preferences and experiences. B) Guidelines are synonymous with systematic research reviews. C) The need for continuity and standardization of guidelines will mean that they will be fixed rather than changeable. D) The guidelines will combine individual expertise with external systematic evidence.