Question 1

The physician orders penicillin for a female client who has a sinus infection. What is a priority question to ask the client prior to administering the medication?

Accepted Answer

Penicillin can reduce the effectiveness of birth control pills, so it is important to ask if the client is taking them to discuss alternative contraceptive methods.

Question 2

The student nurse asks the nursing instructor for help with her microbiology class. The student is studying bacteria. What does the best plan of the nursing instructor include? Select all that apply.

Accepted Answer

- E. coli are gram-negative bacteria.- Spherical-shaped bacteria are called cocci.- Gram-staining is one way to identify bacteria.

Question 3

The client has MRSA and receives vancomycin (Vancocin) intravenously (IV). The nurse assesses an upper body rash and decreased urine output. What is the nurse's priority action?

Accepted Answer

The client's upper body rash and decreased urine output may indicate an adverse reaction to the vancomycin. Holding the next dose of vancomycin and notifying the physician is the priority action to prevent further harm to the client. Antihistamines may be used to treat the rash, but this is not the priority action at this time. Obtaining a sterile urine specimen is important to assess for possible nephrotoxicity from the medication but is not the priority action. A stat X-ray is not indicated based on the client's symptoms.

Question 4

The client comes to the emergency department with a fever of 41° C. What will the best plan of the nurse include?

Accepted Answer

A high fever of 41° C suggests a possible systemic infection, for which obtaining blood cultures is a priority to identify the causative organism and guide appropriate antibiotic therapy.

Question 5

The physician orders cefepime (Maxipime) for a client. What is a priority question for the nurse to ask the client prior to administration of this drug?

Accepted Answer

Cefepime is a cephalosporin antibiotic, so it is important to screen for penicillin allergies since individuals with a history of penicillin allergy may also have a cross-sensitivity to cephalosporins.

Question 6

The client comes to the emergency department complaining of a sore throat. He has white patches on his tonsils, and he has swollen cervical lymph nodes. What will the best plan of the nurse include?

Accepted Answer

The presence of white patches on the tonsils may indicate a bacterial infection, such as streptococcal pharyngitis. Therefore, obtaining a throat culture is the best plan of action to confirm the presence of a bacterial infection and determine the appropriate antibiotic therapy. It is important to avoid administering antibiotics unnecessarily and contributing to antibiotic resistance. Blood cultures are not necessary in this scenario unless there is concern for the systemic spread of infection.

Question 7

The client tells the nurse that the doctor told him his antibiotic did not kill his infection, but just slowed its growth. The client is anxious. What is the best response by the nurse to decrease the client's anxiety?

Accepted Answer

Antibiotics that slow the growth of bacteria (bacteriostatic antibiotics) allow the body's immune system to catch up and fight off the infection. This explanation can help reduce the client's anxiety by reassuring them that their body is also working to eliminate the infection, not just relying on the antibiotic alone.

Question 8

The client receives gentamicin (Garamycin) intravenous (IV) in the clinical setting. What is a priority nursing action?

Accepted Answer

The priority nursing action when administering gentamicin IV is to monitor the client for hearing loss. Gentamicin can cause ototoxicity, which can manifest as hearing loss, tinnitus, or vertigo. Therefore, the nurse should monitor the client's hearing before and during gentamicin therapy to prevent irreversible hearing damage. Increasing fluids and drawing blood chemistries are important but not the priority action. Isolation precautions are unnecessary unless the client has an infection that requires isolation.

Question 9

The client receives an injection of penicillin G benzathine (Bicillin LA) in the outpatient clinic. What is a priority nursing action by the nurse prior to administering this injection?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The client receives an injection of penicillin...

Question 10

The nurse works in infection control and teaches a class to staff nurses about the ways that resistance to antibiotics can occur. The nurse evaluates that learning has occurred when the nurses make which statement?

Accepted Answer

Resistance to antibiotics can occur by the common use of them for nosocomial infections.

Question 11

The client receives multiple antibiotics to treat a serious infection. What will the priority assessment of the client by the nurse include?

Accepted Answer

The priority assessment is to monitor for side effects of antibiotics, such as diarrhea and painful urination, which could indicate antibiotic-associated colitis or a urinary tract infection.

Question 12

The nurse works on an infectious disease unit. What is the best understanding of the nurse about the major role of the nurse on this unit?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The nurse works on an infectious disease...

Question 13

The client receives multiple drugs for treatment of tuberculosis. The nurse teaches the client the rationale for multiple drug treatment, and evaluates learning as effective when the client makes which statement?

Accepted Answer

Multiple drug treatment is necessary for tuberculosis because using just one drug can lead to the development of drug-resistant bacteria, making treatment more difficult.

Question 14

The nurse plans to teach the client with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) about bacterial infections. Which statement describes the best plan of the nurse? Select all that apply.

Accepted Answer

- C) This statement is accurate because the majority of bacteria that exist are not harmful to humans, and many are actually beneficial, such as those in our gut microbiome.- D) Virulence refers to the degree of pathogenicity within a group or species, indicating how severe the disease a pathogen can cause. Saying "if just a few bacteria make you sick, this is virulence" simplifies the concept but is essentially correct.- E) Pathogenicity is indeed the ability of an organism to cause disease, so stating that "Pathogenicity means the bacteria can cause an infection" is correct and relevant to teaching about bacterial infections.

Question 15

The client is prescribed amoxicillin (Amoxil) for 10 days to treat strep throat. After 5 days, the client tells the nurse he plans to stop the medication because he feels better. What is the best response by the nurse?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The client is prescribed amoxicillin (Amoxil) for...

Quiz 32: Drugs for Bacterial Infections