An elderly female patient has a sudden onset of delirium during the first night of hospitalization. What does this episode suggest to the nurse?
1. The patient has an infection.
2. The patient is dehydrated.
3. The cause must be determined immediately because it can signal another health problem.
4. The patient has Alzheimer's disease.
3
Rationale 1: There is not enough information to specifically suggest an infection.
Rationale 2: There is not enough information to specifically suggest dehydration.
Rationale 3: Delirium is an abnormal mental state, not a disease, and usually a sign of a newly developed disorder that affects about one third of hospitalized people over the age of 70.
Rationale 4: There is not enough information to suggest Alzheimer's in this patient.
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