The patient who recently suffered a fractured femur and is currently in traction is at high risk for developing constipation. The most appropriate nursing intervention would be to:
1. get the patient up to the bathroom at least twice each day.
2. administer enemas each day until the patient has a bowel movement.
3. administer pain medication to prevent pain during defecation.
4. encourage a high-fiber diet and increased amounts of fluids.
4
Inactivity, decreased fluid intake, and lack of adequate fiber in the diet can combine to cause constipation. Activity is not an option for this patient, but encouraging a high-fiber diet and increased fluids can help prevent or relieve constipation.
You might also like to view...
The family of a patient who experienced a stroke after percutaneous coronary revascularization asks the nurse what caused the stroke to occur. How should the nurse respond to the family?
1. "A stroke could have been caused by clot particles from the procedure." 2. "Stroke is usually caused by ruptured plaque inside the coronary artery." 3. "Stroke is caused by heart failure." 4. "No one knows what causes strokes."
Which risk factor of her personal and family history most puts her in danger of getting breast cancer?
A 40-year-old mother of two presents to your office for consultation. She is interested in knowing what her relative risks are for developing breast cancer. She is concerned because her sister had unilateral breast cancer 6 years ago at age 38. The patient reports on her history that she began having periods at age 11 and has been fairly regular ever since, except during her two pregnancies. Her first child arrived when she was 26 and her second at age 28. Otherwise she has had no health problems. Her father has high blood pressure. Her mother had unilateral breast cancer in her 70s. The patient denies tobacco, alcohol, or drug use. She is a family law attorney and is married. Her examination is essentially unremarkable. A) First-degree relative with premenopausal breast cancer B) Age at menarche of less than 12 C) First live birth between the ages of 25 and 29 D) First-degree relative with postmenopausal breast cancer
The hospital has identified telehealth as a potential addition to its services and is conducting cost-benefit analysis. Which barrier to developing this service is likely to emerge?
1. Patients become so empowered that they don't use as many services. 2. There is a limited reimbursement mechanism in place at this time. 3. There is decreased contact with practitioners using telehealth technology. 4. The lack of practice standards makes telehealth risky from a liability perspective.
A nurse is teaching a nursing student about the differences between psychiatric-mental health nursing diagnosis taxonomy and the psychiatric diagnosis taxonomy
that is contained in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, text revision (DSM-IV-TR). What is the nurse's primary role in the process of psychiatric diagnosis? A) Collaborating with the psychiatrist to identify appropriate psychiatric diagnoses B) Compensating for the medical focus of the DSM-IV-TR with an increased emphasis on nursing diagnoses C) Documenting and communicating assessment data that are appropriate to particular psychiatric diagnoses D) Determining whether individual clients prefer a medical focus or a nursing focus for their care