Patient in the emergency department exhibits disorganized behavior and incoherence after a friend suggested a homosexual encounter. In which room should the nurse place the patient?

Question

a. Interview room furnished with a desk and two chairs
b. Small, empty storage room with no windows or furniture
c. Room with an examining table, instrument cabinets, desk, and chair
d. Nurse's office, furnished with chairs, files, magazines, and bookcases

Answer 1

ANS: A
Individuals who are experiencing a severe-to-panic level of anxiety require a safe environment that is quiet, nonstimulating, structured, and simple. A room with a desk and two chairs provides simplicity, few objects with which the patient could cause self-harm, and a small floor space around which the patient can move. A small, empty storage room without windows or furniture would be like a jail cell. The nurse's office or a room with an examining table and instrument cabinets may be overstimulating and unsafe.