After the death of his wife, a man tells the nurse, "I can't live without her. She was my whole life." Which is the nurse's most therapeutic reply?
a. "Each day will get a little better."
b. "Her death is a terrible loss for you."
c. "Remember, she's no longer suffering."
d. "Your friends will help you cope with this."
ANS: B
The correct response demonstrates the use of reflection, a therapeutic communication technique. A statement that validates the bereaved person's loss is more helpful than banalities and clichés; it signifies understanding. The other options are clichés.
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A client has been diagnosed with having calcium oxalate kidney stones following intravenous pyelography. Which of the following teaching points about the treatment of the health problem are justifiable? Select all that apply
A) "You may need to cut out cocoa, chocolate, and some nuts from your diet." B) "It's important that you avoid high-calcium foods like milk, cheese, and yogurt." C) "We will come up with a plan to safely limit your fluid intake over the next few weeks." D) "Extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy treatment may be used to fragment larger stones." E) "Most likely your stones can be dissolved by medications over the next several days."
A client in the ICU has shock and is getting blood glucose levels drawn and treatment with subcutaneous insulin. The client's spouse is upset seeing this and says "Now s/he's a diabetic, too?" The best response by the nurse is
a. "Blood sugar goes up with physical stress and insulin controls it, and clients seem to do better." b. "High blood sugar is a common side effect of all these medications we are giving the client." c. "No, no, s/he is not yet a diabetic. I hope we can prevent it by giving insulin now." d. "Under great physical stress, blood glucose elevates and people can become di-abetic."
Under the supervision of a registered nurse (RN), an LVN/LPN is providing parents with instructions for administering eye drops to their young child, who has been diagnosed with pink eye. The nurse correctly tells the parents:
1. "Have your child tip his head back and look down." 2. "Brace your hand against the child's chin as you steady the dropper." 3. "Gently raise the upper lid to expose the eyeball before putting in the eye drops." 4. "Place the drop in the middle part of the space created when you pull down the lower lid."
The nurse identifies which of the following as a homeostatic mechanism?
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.