A patient with pneumonia reports severe pleuritic chest pain. What is the nurse's priority action?

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A: Administer prescribed pain medication. Severe pleuritic chest pain in a patient with pneumonia indicates inflammation of the pleura, which can be very distressing and require immediate relief. Administering pain medication will help alleviate the patient's discomfort, improve breathing, and enhance their overall well-being. Positioning the patient in high Fowler's (choice B) may help with breathing but does not address the immediate pain relief needed. Encouraging deep breathing exercises (choice C) may exacerbate the pain. Applying warm compresses to the chest (choice D) may provide some comfort but does not directly address the severe pain.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The correct answer is B: Oxygen saturation of 82% on room air. This finding indicates severe hypoxemia in a patient with COPD, necessitating immediate attention to prevent complications like respiratory failure. Clubbing of the fingers (choice A) is a sign of chronic hypoxia but does not require immediate attention. Increased anterior-posterior chest diameter (choice C) and barrel chest appearance (choice D) are common in COPD but do not indicate an acute issue requiring immediate intervention. Oxygen saturation is a crucial parameter to monitor in COPD patients as it directly reflects their respiratory status.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A: Administer prescribed pain medication. Pain can inhibit deep breathing post-thoracotomy, leading to decreased breath sounds and potential complications. Addressing pain first allows the patient to take deep breaths with the incentive spirometer effectively. Encouraging shallow breathing (Choice C) may worsen atelectasis. Assisting with an incentive spirometer (Choice B) should follow pain management. Repositioning (Choice D) may not directly address the primary issue of incisional pain.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is A because pursed-lip breathing is a technique commonly used by patients with COPD to improve breathing efficiency by slowing down exhalation and keeping airways open. This helps to reduce air trapping and improve oxygen exchange. Option B is incorrect because pursed-lip breathing is not primarily used for anxiety reduction. Option C is incorrect as it doesn't directly relate to pursed-lip breathing. Option D is incorrect because pursed-lip breathing is a preventive technique rather than a response to acute shortness of breath.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The correct answer is B: Standard four-drug therapy for TB. In this scenario, the nurse has a positive TB skin test but no symptoms or chest x-ray findings. This suggests latent TB infection. The standard treatment for latent TB infection is a four-drug therapy regimen to prevent the progression to active TB. It is essential for the occupational health nurse to educate the staff nurse about this treatment to prevent the development of active TB disease. Choice A (Use and side effects of isoniazid) is incorrect because while isoniazid is part of the treatment regimen for latent TB infection, the nurse needs to be educated about the full four-drug therapy regimen, not just one drug. Choice C (Need for annual repeat TB skin testing) is incorrect as the positive TB skin test already indicates latent TB infection, so repeat skin testing annually is not necessary. Choice D (Reasons for annual sputum cytology testing) is incorrect because sputum cytology testing is not