The nurse is instructing a patient with a right hip replacement to descend stairs by using axillary crutches. Which should the nurse include in patient teaching?
a. Use the handrail on the right side.
b. Shift the weight to the left leg to begin.
c. Keep crutches very close to the hips.
d. Place the left leg on the stair below first.
B
The nurse instructs the patient to begin in the tripod position and thus shift the body weight to the unaffected leg to maintain balance and a base of support. The patient uses both crutches, one on each side, to descend a stairway to provide a wide base of support and avoid hopping down each step on one foot. The crutches should be held 15 cm (6 inches) laterally to provide a wider base of support. The nurse instructs the patient to position the crutches on the stair below before shifting weight to the crutches and moving the right leg forward.
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A patient is diagnosed with a hypoproliferative anemia. The nurse is aware that this type of anemia is due to:
A) Lack of production of RBCs B) Loss of RBCs C) Injury to the RBCs in circulation D) Abnormality of RBCs
The nurse caring for infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) relies on the use of behavioral and physiologic indicators for determining pain. Which of the following examples are behavioral indicators? Select all answers that apply
A) The infant grimaces. B) The infant's heart rate is elevated. C) The infant flails his arms and legs. D) The infant's respiratory rate is elevated. E) The infant is crying uncontrollably. F) The infant's oxygen saturation is low.
The nurse is caring for a patient with liver disease. When assessing the patient's laboratory values, the nurse should:
a. disregard the level of conjugated bilirubin. b. assess the indirect serum bilirubin. c. call the provider immediately if the direct bilirubin is elevated. d. be aware that unconjugated bilirubin is harmless.
The nurse has completed medication education with the patient who is receiving atenolol (Tenormin). The nurse determines that teaching is effective when the patient makes which statement?
1. "I must avoid grapefruit juice when I take this medicine." 2. "I must call my doctor if I want to stop this medicine." 3. "I must check my pulse before taking the medicine and call the doctor if it is less than 50." 4. "I must take this medicine with food so it will be properly absorbed."