Which patient arriving at the urgent care center will the nurse assess first?
a. Patient with acute right eye pain that occurred while using home power tools
b. Patient with purulent left eye discharge, pruritus, and conjunctival inflammation
c. Patient who is complaining of intense discomfort after an insect crawled into the right ear
d. Patient who has Ménière's disease and is complaining of nausea, vomiting, and dizziness
ANS: A
The history and symptoms suggest eye trauma with a possible penetrating injury. Blindness may occur unless the patient is assessed and treated rapidly. The other patients should be treated as soon as possible, but do not have clinical manifestations that indicate any acute risk for vision or hearing loss.
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A patient has hypertension and reports no symptoms. To encourage medication compliance, the nurse cautions the patient that uncontrolled hypertension can lead to sudden alterations in health, such as:
1. stroke. 2. blindness. 3. renal failure. 4. epistaxis.
Which precaution is most important to teach parents about giving an over-the-counter (OTC) drug to a child?
a. "OTC drugs are only for adults, not children." b. "Be sure to crush the tablets or capsules to prevent choking." c. "Check with your pediatrician or pharmacist for the proper dosage." d. "Only use the liquid form of the drug to make it easier to swallow."
A family member expresses concern that a patient is taking several herbal remedies and worries that they may be unsafe. The nurse will respond by saying that herbs
a. are classified as medications by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. b. are regulated by the government and are determined to be safe. c. aren't usually effective but are generally harmless. d. should be discussed with the patient's provider in conjunction with other medications.
Critical pathways are designed to indicate:
a. key events that must happen each day in order to achieve an acceptable length of stay b. actions that are acceptable by the health care team and actions that are not acceptable c. the client's responsibilities in working with the health care team d. turning points in which the client is not progressing normally and requires more critical care