The patients below present in the emergency department. The psychiatric unit has one bed available. Which patient should be admitted? The patient:

a. feeling anxiety and a sad mood after separation from a spouse of 10 years.
b. who self-inflicted a superficial cut on the forearm after a family argument.
c. experiencing dry mouth and tremor related to haloperidol (Haldol).
d. who is a parent and hears voices saying, "Smother your baby."


D
Admission to the hospital would be justified by the risk of patient danger to self or others. The other patients have issues that can be handled with less restrictive alternatives than hospitalization.

Nursing

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A woman has gone to her gynecologist complaining of pain during intercourse. The physician orders a maturation index on her vaginal scrapings. The results return an index of 75-25-0

The nurse can interpret this to mean A) she is in the beginning of cervical cancer. B) she is in the prime of her reproductive years. C) she is in a perimenopausal phase. D) she is experiencing postmenopausal vaginal dryness.

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