A patient is alarmed that she has tested positive for MRSA following culture testing during her admission to the hospital. What should the nurse teach the patient about this diagnostic finding?
A) "There are promising treatments for MRSA, so this is no cause for serious concern."
B) "This doesn't mean that you have an infection; it shows that the bacteria live on one of your skin surfaces."
C) "The vast majority of patients in the hospital test positive for MRSA, but the infection doesn't normally cause serious symptoms."
D) "This finding is only preliminary, and your doctor will likely order further testing."
Ans: B
Feedback:
This patient's testing results are indicative of colonization, which is not synonymous with infection. The test results are considered reliable, and would not be characterized as "preliminary." Treatment is not normally prescribed for colonizations.
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Older people have many altered reactions to disease that are based on age-related physiological changes. When the nurse observes physical indicators of illness in the older population, that nurse must remember which of the following principles?
A) Potential life-threatening problems in the older adult population are not as serious as they are in a middle-aged population. B) Indicators that are useful and reliable in younger populations cannot be relied on as indications of potential life-threatening problems in older adults. C) The same physiological processes that indicate serious health care problems in a younger population indicate mild disease states in the elderly. D) Middle-aged people do not react to disease states the same as a younger population does.
The nurse is assessing the heart of a 20-year-old adult. Which finding would be considered normal?
a. Aortic thrill b. Epigastric bruit c. Mitral click d. Audible S3
What term is used to identify an interlacing bundle of dense, white fibrous tissue that is richly supplied with nerves, blood vessels, and lymphatic vessels?
a. Procallus b. Joint capsule c. Hematoma d. Elastin fibers
It is acceptable for the nursing assistant to wash hands with the patient's bar of soap.
Answer the following statement true (T) or false (F)