A patient is complaining of nonspecific abdominal pain. What is the technique the nurse uses to assess tenderness?
a. Palpation
b. Percussion
c. Auscultation
d. Olfaction
A
Palpation primarily detects areas of abdominal tenderness, distention, or masses. Percussion involves tapping the body with the fingertips to produce a vibration that travels through body tissues. The resulting sounds give information about the location, size, and density of underlying structures and help verify abnormalities assessed by palpation and auscultation. Auscultation is listening for sounds produced by the body and is not used to assess tenderness. Olfaction, or smelling, helps to detect abnormalities not recognized by other means. Unusual smells can lead to detection of serious abnormalities.
You might also like to view...
The nurse is explaining the difference between starches and fibers. Fibers are:
1. Derived from plants. 2. Derived from animals. 3. Digested by humans. 4. Causes of constipation.
A nurse is providing care for an elderly client whose analgesia has been ordered by the IV route. While reviewing the client's medication administration record, the nurse observes that the dosage range differs from that of most young adult clients
What is the most likely rationale for this difference? A) Older adults are often more susceptible to toxic drug effects than younger adults B) Older adults typically require higher doses than younger adults to achieve a therapeutic effect C) Older adults tend to absorb drugs into their adipose tissue, requiring lower doses D) Older adults benefit from more frequent administration of lower doses of drugs
A client with carcinoma of the head of the pancreas requires surgery. Which of the following should a nurse administer to the client before surgery?
A) Fruits B) Vitamin K C) Vitamin B D) Oral bile acids
In discussing the history of psychiatric-mental health nursing and its place within nursing history, one interesting thing you might mention would be that:
A) Certification for the psychiatric–mental health nursing specialty was first emphasized by Mary Adelaide Nutting. B) Psychiatric nurses played a part in seeing that all deinstitutionalized patients got treatment at community mental health centers. C) There is a historical link between the first nursing program to admit male students and the first training school for psychiatric nursing. D) The first graduate program in psychiatric nurses was established in response to the publication of psychiatric nursing specialty journals.