A mother has just given birth to a newborn with a cleft lip. Sensing that something is wrong, she starts to cry and asks the nurse, "What is wrong with my baby?" What is the most appropriate nursing action?
a. Encourage the mother to express her feelings.
b. Explain in simple language that the baby has a cleft lip.
c. Provide emotional support until the practitioner can talk to the mother.
d. Tell the mother a pediatrician will talk to her as soon as the baby is examined.
ANS: B
It is best to explain in simple terms the nature of the defect and to reinforce and help clarify information given by the practitioner before the newborn is shown to the parents. Parents may not be ready to talk about their feelings during the first few days after birth. The nurse should provide information about the child's condition while waiting for the practitioner to speak with the family after the examination. The mother needs simple explanations of her child's condition during this period of waiting.
You might also like to view...
A nurse reviews laboratory results for a client with diabetes mellitus who presents with polyuria, lethargy, and a blood glucose of 560 mg/dL. Which laboratory result should the nurse correlate with the client's polyuria?
a. Serum sodium: 163 mEq/L b. Serum creatinine: 1.6 mg/dL c. Presence of urine ketone bodies d. Serum osmolarity: 375 mOsm/kg
A patient has recently been prescribed a drug that treats his hypertension by blocking the sympathetic receptors in his sympathetic nervous system. This action is characteristic of
A) an adrenergic antagonist. B) an adrenergic agonist. C) a cardiotonic. D) a neurotransmitter.
The nurse obtains information from a patient about the site, severity, and duration of the pain. What type of data is this considered?
a. Patient data b. Objective data c. Focused data d. Subjective data
A patient is demonstrating poor exhalation. The nurse realizes that this patient is at risk for developing what health problem?
1. pleurisy 2. pulmonary edema 3. increased carbon dioxide levels 4. reduced oxygen capacity of red blood cells