Nursing Elites

1. A client has started sweating profusely due to intense heat. His overall luid volume is low and he has developed electrolyte imbalance. This client is most likely suffering from:

• A. Malignant hyperthermia
• B. Heat exhaustion
• C. Heat stroke
• D. Heat cramps

Correct answer: Heat exhaustion

Rationale: Heat exhaustion occurs when a person has enough diaphoresis that he becomes dehydrated. Intense sweating can cause both luid and electrolyte imbalances. Untreated heat exhaustion can lead to heat stroke, which results in organ damage, loss of consciousness, or death.

2. Mrs. F has been diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism. Which of the following complications is Mrs. F at highest risk of developing?

• A. Hyponatremia
• B. Hypocalcemia
• C. Hypermagnesemia
• D. Hypercalcemia

Correct answer: Hypercalcemia

Rationale: The parathyroid glands regulate calcium, vitamin D, and phosphorus in the body. Hyperparathyroidism leads to excessive production of parathyroid hormone, causing the release of calcium from bones into the bloodstream, resulting in elevated blood calcium levels, known as hypercalcemia. This puts individuals at risk of developing complications such as kidney stones, bone pain, osteoporosis, and neuropsychiatric symptoms. The other options, hyponatremia, hypocalcemia, and hypermagnesemia, are not directly associated with hyperparathyroidism. Hyponatremia is low sodium levels in the blood, hypocalcemia is low calcium levels, and hypermagnesemia is high magnesium levels, which are not typically seen in hyperparathyroidism.

3. Which information given by a 70-year-old patient during a health history indicates to the nurse that the patient should be screened for hepatitis C?

• A. The patient had a blood transfusion in 2005
• B. The patient used IV drugs about 20 years ago
• C. The patient frequently eats in fast-food restaurants
• D. The patient traveled to a country with poor sanitation

Correct answer: The patient used IV drugs about 20 years ago

Rationale: The correct answer is 'The patient used IV drugs about 20 years ago.' Any patient with a history of IV drug use should be tested for hepatitis C due to the increased risk of transmission through sharing needles. Blood transfusions given after 1992, when an antibody test for hepatitis C became available, do not pose a risk for hepatitis C. Hepatitis C is not spread by the oral-fecal route, so contaminated food or traveling to countries with poor sanitation are not direct risk factors for hepatitis C.

4. All hospitals and nursing homes are mandated to have the goal of a restraint-free environment. The best way to achieve this goal is to ________________.

• A. ban the use of all restraints under all circumstances
• B. limit restraints to only those situations when falls cannot be prevented
• C. keep all bedside rails up for all patients during nighttime hours
• D. use non-skid socks and sheets to prevent falls from chairs

Correct answer: limit restraints to only those situations when falls cannot be prevented

Rationale: All hospitals and nursing homes are mandated by JCAHO and state departments of health to have the goal of a restraint-free environment. This does not mean that no restraints can ever be used under any circumstances. The goal is to minimize the use of restraints and prioritize other preventive measures. Restraining a patient should only be considered when all other preventive strategies have failed, and the patient is at risk of harm. Therefore, the best approach is to limit the use of restraints to situations where falls cannot be prevented, ensuring that restraints are used as a last resort to maintain patient safety. Choices C and D are not ideal solutions as they do not address the appropriate use of restraints in a restraint-free environment.

5. In which of the following examples would informed consent not be required?

• A. A patient is apprehensive about an upcoming surgery and chooses not to learn of the risks involved with the procedure.
• B. A child is rushed to the Emergency Room after falling from a third-story window.
• C. An adult in a coma in a mental health institution with no listed next of kin.
• D. Informed consent is not required in any of the above examples.

Correct answer: Informed consent is not required in any of the above examples.

Rationale: In emergency situations where immediate treatment is necessary to prevent further harm or save a life, such as in option B where a child is rushed to the Emergency Room after a fall, informed consent may be waived to provide prompt care. In option A, though the patient is apprehensive about surgery and chooses not to learn the risks, informed consent is not required as it is the patient's right to refuse information. In option C, when an adult is in a coma with no next of kin listed, decisions may be made in the patient's best interest following legal and ethical guidelines. Therefore, informed consent is not needed in any of the scenarios presented.

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