A patient has been hospitalized for 5 days and has had no visitors. The nurse observes the patient to be bored, restless, and anxious. The nurse identifies this behavior as which of the following?
a. Sensory deficits
b. Sensory overload
c. Sensory deprivation
d. Changes in attitudes
C
Sensory deprivation occurs when inadequate quality or quantity of stimuli impairs a patient's perception. It can cause affective changes (e.g., boredom, restlessness, increased anxiety, emotional lability) and/or perceptual changes (e.g., reduced attention span, disorganized visual and motor coordination, confusion of sleeping and waking states). Sensory deficits such as low vision and blindness are very common forms of disability. When a person receives multiple sensory stimuli, the brain has difficulty distinguishing the stimuli, leading to sensory overload. A person with sensory overload no longer perceives the environment in a way that makes sense. Sensory deprivation can be caused from living in a nonstimulating environment. Ask the patient how to improve the quality of stimulation in the environment.
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A woman has come to the clinic to seek help with a substance abuse problem. She admits to using cocaine just before arriving. Which of these assessment findings would the nurse expect to find when examining this woman?
a. Dilated pupils, pacing, and psychomotor agitation b. Dilated pupils, unsteady gait, and aggressiveness c. Pupil constriction, lethargy, apathy, and dysphoria d. Constricted pupils, euphoria, and decreased temperature
In any health care setting, the student nurse is aware that ultimate accountability for delegation of nursing tasks remains with:
a. the health care provider b. the health agency itself c. the licensed nurse d. the person to whom the task is assigned
The patient is in need of immediate hemodialysis, but has no vascular access. The nurse prepares the patient for insertion of:
a. a percutaneous catheter at the bedside. b. a percutaneous tunneled catheter at the bedside. c. an arteriovenous fistula. d. an arteriovenous graft.
A client complains of having tender and painful breasts. She often feels multiple lumps within her breast tissue. Which of the following information should the nurse collect when assessing the client?
A) About alcohol consumption B) About the client's workplace in relation to the surroundings C) About the timing of symptoms in relation to the menstrual cycle D) About bathing frequency and living surroundings