The nurse identifies which of the following as a homeostatic mechanism?

Question

1. The client's heart rate increases when walking up a flight of stairs.
2. Shivering when core body temperature drops.
3. A child's bone growth occurs in spurts.
4. Decreased secretion of insulin when food is not ingested.
5. Lactation in a pregnant woman.

Answer 1

Correct Answer: 1,2,4
Rationale 1: Homeostatic mechanisms have characteristics that include self-regulation such as automatically increased respiratory rates.
Rationale 2: Homeostatic mechanisms have characteristics that include compensatory actions such as shivering to create body heat.
Rationale 3: This is not an example of a homeostatic mechanism; they are self-regulation, compensation, negative feedback, and utilizations of multiple mechanisms to correct a physiological imbalance.
Rationale 4: Homeostatic mechanisms have characteristics that include regulation by negative feedback systems.
Rationale 5: This is not an example of a homeostatic mechanism; they are self-regulation, compensation, negative feedback, and utilizations of multiple mechanisms to correct a physiological imbalance.