The nurse is instructing a patient on ways to maintain his health during the two weeks prior to having elective total hip replacement surgery. The nurse is conducting this instruction to ensure which of the following?
1. reduce the amount of time spent in the hospital
2. reduce the amount of time for rehabilitation after the surgery
3. ensure the surgical procedure occurs without interruption
4. prevent a surgical wound infection by reducing the chance of a susceptible host
4
Rationale: One of the greatest priorities in wound care is prevention of infection. Prevention of wound infections begins with recognition of the three elements that predispose the patient to a wound infection: susceptible host, compromised wound, and infectious organism. The nurse is instructing the patient on ways to stay healthy before the surgery to ensure that the patient is not a susceptible host. There is no way to predict the amount of time the patient will spend in the hospital or will need in rehabilitation. There is also no way to ensure that the surgical procedure will occur without interruption.
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The nurse is caring for a client admitted with pneumonia. Which assessment findings would help determine the type of pneumonia the client is experiencing?
1. The client's complaint of shortness of breath 2. Productive cough with large amounts of rust-colored sputum 3. The client's complaint of chest pain 4. A temperature of 38.3 °C (101 °F)
An elderly client is transported to the emergency department from a local nursing home with a serum calcium level of 3.9 mEq/L
The client's family is upset and says "This is the second time this has happened since she got admitted to that home!" The best answer by the nurse is a. "I can call a social worker to see if she can go to another home if you like." b. "It might be related to not getting enough sun; I'll call the home and ask about it." c. "Yes, people in nursing homes often start having illnesses after they are admitted." d. "You will just have to have them increase her calcium supplements."
What is the most important action to take after giving a patient a newly prescribed drug for hypertension?
a. Teach the patient to measure his or her pulse. b. Check the patient's blood pressure an hour later. c. Ask the patient whether any other family members also have hypertension. d. Ask the patient whether he or she has ever taken a drug for hypertension in the past.
The nurse is preparing to give an adult client an enema as ordered by the client's physician. The client says, "I don't want to have an enema." What action should the nurse take?
a. Leave immediately without performing the procedure. b. Explain to the client why the procedure is ordered and the consequences of not accepting the procedure. c. Give the enema to the client over his objec-tions. d. Call the nursing supervisor.