A pregnant patient confides to the nurse that she is eating laundry starch daily. The nurse should assess the patient for:
1. Alopecia.
2. Weight loss.
3. Iron-deficiency anemia.
4. Fecal impaction.
3
Rationale 1: Alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss, is not associated with eating laundry starch.
Rationale 2: Weight gain is related to the patient's eating laundry starch.
Rationale 3: The ingestion of non-nutritive food sources is called pica. Eating these non-nutritive substances has been found to interfere with the absorption of iron.
Rationale 4: Fecal impaction is associated with the eating of clay, not laundry starch.
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A nurse assesses a patient's dorsalis pedis pulse. If the pulse feels full and springlike even under moderate pressure, the nurse should document this finding as a:
a. weak pulse. b. normal pulse. c. thready pulse. d. bounding pulse.
The nurse caring for a college student who attempted suicide by overdose believes brain biochemical
dysfunction contributes to suicidal behavior. The nurse will be better able to plan necessary health teaching if she identifies the probable neurotransmitter alteration of a. acetylcholine excess. b. serotonin deficiency. c. dopamine excess. d. ?-aminobutyric acid deficiency.
A nursing instructor explains that a good nurse must make certain that the professional nurse–patient relationship boundaries are never crossed. The instructor realizes that additional clarification is needed when a student nurse says:
1. "I must be careful to never get emotionally involved with my patients." 2. "I should avoid serving as the patient's advocate." 3. "I should never become physically involved with a patient." 4. "It is unethical to accept gifts or tips from a patient."
A patient with a 36-hour-old fractured femur is in traction and is prescribed morphine 10 mg every 3 hours as needed. The patient received a dose 3 hours ago and is now reporting a pain level of 8. The patient is stable. Which action should the nurse take
a. Hold medication. b. Notify the registered nurse (RN). c. Give pain medication as ordered. d. Give pain medication in 30 minutes.