You are caring for an adolescent patient who has swallowed all of his mother's sleeping pills and pain pills. The patient has had a gastric lavage and is able to answer questions. The best question to ask this patient is:

A.
"What are your thoughts right now about hurting yourself?"
B.
"Why on earth did you do that?"
C.
"Don't you know how much your family loves you and how much they will miss you if you kill yourself?"
D.
"This is a very immature way to get attention."


ANS: A
Response A is an open-ended question to encourage the patient to talk. The other responses are judgmental and not helpful.

Nursing

You might also like to view...

A patient with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is getting ready for discharge. The nurse knows the patient has understood the patient teaching when the patient states she needs to what?

A) Get as much exposure to sunlight as possible to help control skin rashes. B) Be as active as possible between flare-ups. C) Monitor body temperature. D) Stop her corticosteroids when symptoms are relieved.

Nursing

The nurse prepares to administer blood to the patient. Which is the nurse's priority action?

a. Determining patient history of autologous blood donations b. Assessing patient baseline vital signs be-fore the transfusion c. Confirming the rate of the blood infusion with the healthcare provider d. Identifying patient blood type, cross-match, and blood product

Nursing

Racism is prohibited by which of the following?

a. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 c. The ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses b. The ICN Code of Ethics for Nurses d. All of the above

Nursing

A new mother is concerned about her ability to perform her new role. She is quite anxious about leaving the hospital. Which nursing statement is appropriate for a client experiencing a life-transition crisis?

A) "I sense that you have issues with your own mother." B) "All new parents feel this way. It gets better in a few weeks." C) "What does this life change symbolize to you?" D) "Tell me about what you are experiencing and we can try to connect you with some community resources."

Nursing