Nursing Elites

1. The healthcare professional notices that a colleague is preparing to check the blood pressure of a patient who is obese by using a standard-sized blood pressure cuff. How would this likely affect the blood pressure reading?

• A. Yield a falsely low blood pressure
• B. Yield a falsely high blood pressure
• C. Be the same, regardless of cuff size
• D. Vary as a result of the technique of the person performing the assessment

Correct answer: B

Rationale: Using a cuff that is too narrow for an obese patient would likely yield a falsely high blood pressure reading. This occurs because the standard cuff is too small for the arm's circumference, requiring more pressure to compress the artery. A tight cuff can lead to inaccurate and elevated blood pressure readings. Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because using an improperly sized cuff would not yield a falsely low blood pressure, the blood pressure reading does vary with cuff size, and the technique of the person performing the assessment is not the primary factor affecting the reading in this situation.

2. The nurse is conducting a health fair for older adults. Which statement is true regarding vital sign measurements in aging adults?

• A. The pulse is easier to palpate due to the rigidity of the blood vessels.
• B. An increased respiratory rate and a shallower inspiratory phase are expected findings.
• C. A widened pulse pressure occurs from changes in the systolic and diastolic blood pressures.
• D. Changes in the body's temperature regulatory mechanism decrease the older adult's likelihood of developing a fever.

Correct answer: B

Rationale: Aging causes a decrease in vital capacity and decreased inspiratory reserve volume. As a result, the examiner may observe a shallower inspiratory phase and an increased respiratory rate in older adults. Contrary to common belief, the increased rigidity of arterial walls actually makes the pulse easier to palpate in aging adults. Pulse pressure is widened, not decreased, due to changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Furthermore, changes in the body's temperature regulatory mechanism make older individuals less likely to develop a fever but more susceptible to hypothermia.

3. A patient's Foley catheter has been discontinued. You will dispose of this patient equipment by doing which of the following?

• A. Wearing gloves and then placing this equipment in the regular trash can after it is placed in a paper bag.
• B. Simply placing this equipment in the regular trash can after it is placed in a paper bag.
• C. Wearing gloves and then placing this equipment into a special 'hazardous waste' container.
• D. Simply placing this equipment in the 'hazardous waste' container after it is placed in a paper bag.

Correct answer: C

Rationale: When disposing of used patient equipment, such as a Foley catheter, that has come in contact with bodily fluids, it is considered hazardous waste. The correct procedure involves wearing gloves and placing the Foley bag and tubing into a special 'hazardous waste' container. This container is marked as 'Hazardous' and is typically red to indicate the potential danger of its contents. Placing the equipment in a regular trash can, even if placed in a paper bag, is not appropriate as it does not meet the standards for disposing of hazardous waste. Therefore, options A and B are incorrect. Similarly, simply placing the equipment in a 'hazardous waste' container after it is placed in a paper bag is also incorrect as direct disposal into the designated container while wearing gloves is the proper protocol, making option D incorrect.

4. After a class on culture and ethnicity, the new graduate nurse reflects a correct understanding of the concept of ethnicity with which statement?

• A. "Ethnicity is dynamic and ever-changing."?
• B. "Ethnicity is the belief in a higher power."?
• C. "Ethnicity pertains to a social group that may possess shared traits such as religion and language."?
• D. "Ethnicity is learned from birth through the processes of language acquisition and socialization."?

Correct answer: C

Rationale: Ethnicity pertains to a social group that may possess shared traits such as common geographic origin, migratory status, religion, language, values, traditions, or symbols and food preferences. Culture is dynamic, ever-changing, and learned from birth through the processes of language acquisition and socialization. Religion is the belief in a higher power. Ethnicity pertains to a social group within the social system that claims to have variable traits, such as a common geographic origin, migratory status, religion, race, language, values, traditions, symbols, or food preferences.

5. After a symptom is recognized, the first effort at treatment is often self-treatment. Which of the following statements is true about self-treatment?

• A. "Not recognized as valuable by most health care providers."?
• B. "Usually ineffective and may delay more effective treatment."?
• C. "Always less expensive than biomedical alternatives."?
• D. "Influenced by the accessibility of over-the-counter medicines."?

Correct answer: D

Rationale: After a symptom is identified, the first effort at treatment is often self-treatment. The availability of over-the-counter medications, the relatively high literacy level of Americans, and the influence of the internet and mass media in communicating health-related information to the general population have contributed to the high percentage of cases of self-treatment. Health care providers are recognizing the value of a wide variety of alternative, complementary, and traditional interventions. Many self-treatments, such as over-the-counter medications, are effective. Self-treatment is not always less expensive. Choice A is incorrect as health care providers are recognizing the value of self-treatment. Choice B is incorrect because self-treatment can be effective in many cases. Choice C is incorrect as self-treatment is not always less expensive; it depends on the specific treatment being used.

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