How can a nurse promote effective communication with a patient who has hearing impairment?

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Facing the patient and speaking clearly at a moderate volume enhances communication with a hearing-impaired patient by aiding lip-reading and ensuring audible clarity without distortion. Shouting distorts sound and facial cues, reducing effectiveness. Covering ears blocks sound entirely counterproductive. Medical jargon confuses; simple language works best. Nurses position themselves visibly, use gestures if needed, and confirm understanding, tailoring interaction to the impairment for accurate, respectful care delivery.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Elevating the head of the bed and providing breathing exercises promotes comfort in dyspnea by opening airways, easing lung effort, and teaching control over breath, reducing panic and strain. Rapid, shallow breathing worsens oxygen deficit and fatigue. Sedatives might calm but suppress respiration, risking decline. Supine positioning compresses lungs, intensifying distress. Nurses use Fowler's position and pursed-lip techniques, enhancing airflow and comfort, a dual approach vital for respiratory relief.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Supporting the lower back with a cushion promotes comfort and pain relief by aligning the spine, reducing strain on muscles and discs in back pain patients. Lying flat often worsens lumbar stress elevation or support helps. Direct heat pad application risks burns; a barrier is safer, and heat isn't the only fix. Limiting movement excessively stiffens, not relieves gentle activity aids. Nurses position cushions strategically, easing pressure points, a simple adjustment for sustained back comfort.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: A funeral home is not a typical workplace for a health care aide, as their role centers on living clients providing personal care in group homes (e.g., disabled residents), acute care (e.g., hospital support), and long-term care (e.g., nursing homes). Funeral homes involve post-mortem tasks like embalming, outside an aide's scope of supporting daily living or recovery. Aides assist with ADLs and observation, not deceased care, making this an outlier. Knowing work settings ensures aides pursue relevant roles, aligning skills with client needs, not misapplying them in unrelated fields.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: Erasing or whiting out errors is incorrect because it compromises the integrity of medical records, which must remain accurate and tamper-proof for legal and care continuity purposes. Using ink ensures permanence, legible writing aids clarity, and including time, date, and initials tracks accountability standard practices for PSWs. Altering records by erasure risks miscommunication or errors in client care, like missing a medication dose, and could violate regulations. PSWs must instead strike through mistakes with a single line, initial, and correct them visibly, preserving transparency. This distinction is critical in training, as accurate documentation supports client safety, team coordination, and legal defensibility, unlike erasable methods that obscure the care history.