Which of the following laboratory results would be most important for the nurse to monitor for a patient who has a spleen injury as a result of blunt abdominal trauma sustained in a motor vehicle accident?
1. BUN
2. serum electrolytes
3. prothrombin time
4. hematocrit
4
Rationale: It is crucial to monitor vital signs and hematocrit results for evidence of continued bleeding in patients with an injury to the spleen. BUN and serum electrolytes will not provide enough information about the patient's hematologic status. Prothrombin time would help assess the patient's ability to clot.
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The nurse is providing care for a patient who has multiple sclerosis. The nurse recognizes the autoimmune etiology of this disease and the potential benefits of what treatment?
A) Stem cell transplantation B) Serial immunizations C) Immunosuppression D) Genetic engineering
A staff registered nurse is leading a multidisciplinary clinical pathway team in the development of care for patients with total knee replacement
Which of the following statements would exem-plify leadership behaviors in a clinical pathway team meeting? a. "Nursing is responsible for pain control of the total knee replacement patient." b. "Our pharmacist has provided some excellent pain control literature." c. "Physical therapy's expertise is in rehabilitation, not pain control." d. "Total knee replacement patients require optimal pain control."
You are an LVN/LPN who works on a very busy 35-bed medical-surgical unit. The RN Team Leader gives you a syringe with "pain medication" in it and asks you to administer this medica-tion to a patient. Your first action is to:
1. Assist the Team Leader by giving the medication as requested for this time only. 2. Administer the medication this time because it is an emergency. 3. Take time and prepare the medication and give as prescribed. 4. You don't have to do anything; it is not your patient.
The nurse observes signs of depression in a client who has been hospitalized for several weeks because of injuries sustained in an automobile accident. The client confirms his fears of never,
1. Offer to arrange for him to speak with the facility's chaplain 2. Assure the client that physical therapy will help him tremendously 3. Revise his care plan to include interventions to assist him with coping 4. Tell his health care provider of his need for antidepressant medication