A client with prostate cancer calls the clinic to ask for a physical therapy (PT) consult because his back has been hurting. Which action by the nurse is most appropriate?
a. Advise the client to try a heating pad for 3 days before initiating a PT consult.
b. Call in a prescription for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications.
c. Collaborate with the physician to arrange the physical therapy consult.
d. Instruct the client to come in for a back x-ray immediately.
D
In a client with known cancer, new-onset back pain is a red flag signaling possible spinal cord compression. If not treated, this can lead to permanent neurologic damage, including paralysis. This client needs immediate evaluation to rule out this oncologic emergency.
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Before interviewing a new client, the nurse is told by another health care worker, "I know that client
He's usually nutty as a fruitcake when he is admitted, and not much better when we discharge him.". The nurse's responsibility is to a. accept the other worker's assessment as fact. b. form an impression based on the data he or she collects from all sources. c. validate the worker's impression by contacting the family and other secondary sources. d. discuss the worker's impression with the client during the course of the assessment interview.
When an individual's serum pH begins to fall below 7.35, the mechanism that responds instantaneously to return the serum pH to normal level is
a. ammonia gas combining with H+. b. excretion of acid by the lungs. c. plasma bicarbonate buffering the acid. d. secretion of hydrogen ions (H+) by the kidneys.
The nurse is teaching the postpartum client about newborn transitional stools. Which should the nurse include in the teaching session with regard to transitional stools? (Select all that apply.)
a. They are a greenish brown color. b. They are of a looser consistency. c. They have a tarlike consistency. d. They have a consistency of mustard. e. They are seedy, with a sweet-sour smell.
When a client states, "Suicide is the only thing that will help," the nurse knows which of the following? Select all that apply
A) Take the bereaved on family outings for a year. B) Listen carefully and take all suicide talk seriously. C) Involve the family in a bereavement support group. D) Involve families in psychoeducational and family network services. E) Not try to talk the client out of suicidal intentions.