A patient has identified the need for better anger management and tells the nurse, "I'm afraid that someday I might explode." The best strategy for reducing this patient's fear of losing control is to
a. talk about these feelings openly and directly.
b. discuss feelings in general without reference to the patient.
c. avoid talking about the feelings until the patient feels comfortable.
d. reassure the patient that expressing feelings is the first step to resolving them.
A
Talking openly about feelings conveys the message that feelings are natural and can be handled. Once feelings can be discussed, the focus can shift to learning to cope more effectively with them. The other options are either avoidant or nontherapeutic.
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An older adult patient is being assessed for skin turgor. The nurse identifies decreased skin turgor demonstrated by slow return of the skin to the previous position after being grasped and raised. The nurse recognizes this could be caused by:
a. dehydration. b. edema. c. skin breakdown. d. malnutrition.
When auscultating a client's lungs, the nurse hears a continuous, low-pitched musical sound over the trachea and bronchi with expiration. The nurse records these sounds as:
a. rhonchi. c. wheezes. b. crackles. d. stridor.
A patient comes to the clinic reporting sudden pain and swelling of one knee joint. The primary care NP suspects gout. When preparing to order diagnostic tests, the most important initial test the primary care NP should order is:
a. renal function tests. b. serum uric acid levels. c. 24-hour urine collection. d. synovial fluid aspirate for Gram stain and culture.
The nurse is caring for a patient on who has a vented nasogastric tube ordered "to suction" after a gastrectomy. What type of suction should the nurse use to decrease the development of complications?
a. Continuous low suction b. Continuous high suction c. Intermittent low suction d. Intermittent high suction