A client reports left-sided chest pain after playing racquetball. The client is hospitalized and diagnosed with left pneumothorax. When assessing the client's left chest area, the nurse expects to identify which finding?

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: Left pneumothorax causes absence of breath sounds (D) on the affected side due to lung collapse. Dullness (A) suggests consolidation. Fremitus (B) decreases. Rales/rhonchi (C) indicate fluid. D is correct. Rationale: Air in the pleural space silences breath sounds, a hallmark of pneumothorax, per respiratory assessment, guiding diagnosis and intervention.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Critical thinking in daily nursing practice is most evident when setting priorities, as it requires analyzing client needs, urgency, and resources to determine the order of care. This process involves evaluating multiple factors like a client's condition or time-sensitive tasks and making reasoned judgments, a hallmark of critical thinking. While it's used in every decision ideally, this isn't always practical or conscious for routine tasks like calling the pharmacy or checking supplies, which may rely more on habit or protocol. Prioritization, however, demands active synthesis of data, such as deciding to address a deteriorating patient before a stable one, ensuring efficient and safe care delivery. This application underscores its role in managing complex, dynamic workloads effectively.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Advising a client to rise slowly in stages prevents falls by countering orthostatic hypotension, where blood pressure drops upon standing, risking dizziness. This technique allows gradual adjustment, especially post-illness or surgery. Improved circulation or oxygenation may occur, but fall prevention is the primary goal, not a warm-up. This instruction reduces injury risk, a critical discharge teaching point in nursing to ensure safety at home.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Stomach cells undergo constant mitosis to replace lining lost to digestion, unlike nerve cells (rarely divide), muscle (slow turnover), or renal cells (less frequent). This informs nursing care, like monitoring gastric healing in ulcers.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Using a rubber bulb directly on the artificial eye safely dislodges it, per standard procedure, unlike side pressure, above-eye force, or lower-half methods. Nurses follow this for prosthetic care.