When preparing the patient for suctioning, what is the FIRST step?

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: Before any procedure, it is crucial to ensure that you have the proper authorization and guidelines in place. By checking the physician's order and the patient care plan, you confirm that suctioning is indeed needed and that you follow the specific instructions for that patient. This step helps ensure patient safety and effective care delivery. Once you have verified this information, you can proceed with gathering equipment, performing hand hygiene, and assessing the patient's condition as necessary.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Mastitis is an infection of the breast tissue that may occur in postpartum clients. When a postpartum client exhibits signs of mastitis, including breast tenderness, erythema, and warmth, it is crucial to notify the healthcare provider immediately. Prompt medical evaluation is necessary to determine the appropriate treatment plan, which may include antibiotics. Delay in treatment can lead to complications, such as abscess formation. Encouraging the client to continue breastfeeding and applying warm compresses may provide some relief but do not address the underlying infection. Administering oral antibiotics would require a prescription from the healthcare provider, hence notifying the provider is the most appropriate initial nursing action in this situation.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The nurse should prioritize adjusting the irrigation flow rate based on the patient's urine output to prevent complications during continuous bladder irrigation (CBI). Proper adjustment of the irrigation flow rate helps maintain adequate bladder drainage while preventing bladder distention, clot formation, and potential irrigation fluid overload. Monitoring the patient's urine output and adjusting the flow rate accordingly ensures optimal functioning of the CBI system and enhances patient safety. This proactive approach minimizes the risk of complications and promotes effective postoperative care following urological surgery.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia. Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability that becomes severe enough to interfere with daily life. It can affect memory, thinking skills, and the ability to perform everyday tasks. Alzheimer's disease specifically is a progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and eventually impairs the ability to carry out simple tasks. Therefore, the provided condition of having difficulty in processing stimuli and new information aligns with the symptoms commonly seen in individuals with Alzheimer's disease.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is characterized by ascending motor weakness, starting typically in the lower extremities and progressing upwards. Patients with GBS often verbalize the early onset of symptoms as weakness starting in the legs and potentially spreading to involve the arms and sometimes the face. Therefore, the common verbalization of the patient with GBS regarding the early onset of symptoms is ascending motor weakness. Acute hemiplegia (choice A) and acute hemiparesis (choice D) involve weakness or paralysis typically limited to one side of the body, which is not a characteristic presentation of GBS. Weakness of the four lower extremities (choice C) is also not a typical description in GBS as the weakness usually starts distally and progresses proximally.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: When discharging a suicidal patient who has been taking tricyclic antidepressant drugs, it is crucial for the nurse to evaluate the risk for suicide by overdose of the medication. Tricyclic antidepressants have a narrow therapeutic index, meaning that the difference between a therapeutic dose and a toxic dose can be quite small. This makes them particularly dangerous in cases of overdose, as they can lead to severe toxic effects, including cardiac arrhythmias, seizures, and death.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Verbal abuse is the most common form of abuse experienced by nurses in their workplace. This may include insults, yelling, threats, or intimidation directed towards the nurse. Verbal abuse can have a significant impact on the nurse's mental and emotional well-being, leading to stress, anxiety, and burnout. It is important for healthcare institutions to address and prevent verbal abuse to create a safe and respectful work environment for nurses and other healthcare professionals.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Unstable angina is characterized by chest pain at rest, which is not relieved by nitroglycerin. The ECG findings in unstable angina typically show ST-segment depression or T-wave inversion. It is considered a medical emergency as it can progress to a myocardial infarction. Stable angina, on the other hand, is chest pain or discomfort that occurs with exertion and is relieved by rest or medications like nitroglycerin. Acute myocardial infarction would typically present with ST-segment elevation on ECG, while Prinzmetal's angina is characterized by transient ST-segment elevation due to coronary artery vasospasm.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The statement "Multigravida patient has shorter labor" is the best response to Patient Josephine's question about her shorter labor compared to previous deliveries. In obstetrics, it is commonly observed that labor tends to be shorter in patients who have had previous pregnancies (multigravida patients) due to factors such as prior cervical changes and previous stretching of the birth canal. This phenomenon is known as "multigravida cervical efficiency," and it can lead to faster and more efficient labors in subsequent pregnancies for women who have had previous deliveries.