The nurse is caring for a patient with an external fixator device. What care should the nurse provide to this patient?
1. cleansing pin sites per orders to reduce the chance of infection
2. adjusting the tension on the pins whenever the patient experiences pain
3. explaining that bathing in a tub can be resumed after 3 days
4. encouraging the patient to keep the limb with the external fixator very still.
Correct Answer: 1
The pins require care to reduce the risk of infection. Adjusting the device is outside the scope of nursing; this is a physician's responsibility. Bathing (soaking in water) in a tub is not permitted due to the chance of infection through pin sites. An external fixator is meant to increase the patient's independence while maintaining immobilization.
You might also like to view...
When the saphenous vein is used to bypass an obstructed coronary artery, the nurse will inspect the ___________ wound for healing as well as the sternotomy
A) arm B) leg C) foot D) neck
The nurse offers opportunity for the parents to vent their feelings after the birth of their child with a cleft palate because the nurse is aware that parents may react to the deformed child with disappointment,
which can make the parents: (Select all that apply.) a. Feel guilty b. Become ashamed of their child c. Become angry d. Feel inadequate e. Feel overwhelmed
Which patient would the nurse determine to be at highest risk for dysfunctional grief? The patient:
a. Whose 16-year-old daughter was raped and killed while going on an errand for the patient b. Whose 86-year-old mother, with whom she has shared her home, died after a long illness. c. Who attended a support group and had been assisted by hospice to care for her terminally ill husband d. Who attended a bereavement group, where she learned to express feelings after the deaths of her twin daughters
What is true of replication studies in nursing?
1. Many of the research studies done in nursing have been replicated numerous times. 2. Replicating another's study is the same as plagiarizing his or her work. 3. Only beginning researchers do replication studies. 4. Replication studies are necessary for validation of nursing theory.