Question 1

When the nurse observes a patient experiencing a severe episode of autonomic dysreflexia, what should be the initial intervention?

Accepted Answer

The head of the bed should be raised immediately. Raising the head of the bed will reduce the blood pressure. Finding the cause of the episode is secondary to preventing the possibility of a stroke from the hypertension.

Question 2

The nurse who assesses for cultural influences, values cultural diversity, and incorporates cultural knowledge in practice is said to be ____________ _____________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The nurse who assesses for cultural influences,...

Question 3

What should the nurse do to decrease the potential for a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in a patient who is a paraplegic from a spinal cord injury?

Accepted Answer

DVTs are a problem for patients with a spinal cord injury. Passive range-of-motion exercises manipulate the muscles, which improves venous return, reducing the probability of DVT.

Question 4

The nurse explains that the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 defines a person as disabled if which criteria are met? (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

The definition is that a disabled person may have a physical or mental impairment that limits the person in one or more major life activities and has a medical record of that disability.

Question 5

The rehabilitation nurse assesses localized edema around the knee of a patient with paraplegia. The nurse suspects that this is the first sign of __________ _____________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The rehabilitation nurse assesses localized edema around...

Question 6

The spinal cord injury patient has paralysis of all extremities and bowel and bladder disturbance. The nurse recognizes the injury as most likely occurring at what vertebral level?

Accepted Answer

The vertebral level of injury for a cervical cord is C2 to C7 if the patient has paralysis of all extremities and trunk, and has lost control of bowel and bladder function.

Question 7

The rehabilitation nurse recognizes that the majority of patients with head injuries show no abnormal neurologic findings and experience no loss of consciousness. How should the nurse categorize this type of brain injury?

Accepted Answer

Mild brain injury is characterized by no loss of consciousness and no abnormal neurologic findings.

Question 8

When speaking to a group of high school students, the rehabilitation nurse states that spinal cord injuries resulting in paralysis occur mainly as the result of traumatic accidents in which group of individuals?

Accepted Answer

Individuals paralyzed by spinal cord injuries are primarily young males.

Question 9

The rehabilitation nurse stresses to the family of a patient with a brain injury that difficult and painful rehabilitation will probably be required for what length of time?

Accepted Answer

Most brain-related disabilities, including physical, cognitive, and psychosocial difficulties, call for at least 5 to 10 years of difficult and painful rehabilitation; many require lifelong treatment and attention.

Question 10

The rehabilitation nurse can use basic rehabilitation skills regardless of the origin of the disability. What intervention would be effective for a person with arthritis, a person with a brain injury, or a person with a spinal cord injury?

Accepted Answer

Alignment preservation is an implementation that is appropriate for a variety of rehabilitation patients, regardless of the origin of their disability.

Question 11

The patient with a brain injury is beginning to regain memory. The nurse explains to the family that what will most likely occur?

Accepted Answer

Generally, the more the memory improves, the more the patient becomes depressed.

Question 12

What should a nurse explain to a patient as a cause of triggering autonomic dysreflexia?

Accepted Answer

Patients with spinal cord lesions above T5 may experience sudden and extreme elevations in blood pressure caused by a reflex action of the autonomic nervous system. It is produced by stimulation of the body below the level of the injury, usually by a distended bladder from a blocked catheter. Any stimulation can produce the syndrome, including constipation, diarrhea, sexual activity, pressure ulcers, position changes (from lying to sitting), and even wrinkles in clothing or bed sheets.

Question 13

A child who was struck by a car and suffered a closed head injury was unconscious for 24 hours before waking. The nurse recognizes this as a _______ brain injury.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A child who was struck by a...

Question 14

The nurse used a diagnosis of impaired cognition for a 40-year-old patient with a brain injury. Which assessment data would support the diagnosis?

Accepted Answer

Impaired cognition includes problems in thinking, impaired concentration, and impaired information processing.

Question 15

A 33-year-old patient with a spinal cord injury says to the nurse, "I've let my family down. I don't know what to do." What would be the best response by the nurse?

Accepted Answer

The patient should be encouraged to express his or her feelings about the disability.

Question 16

The nurse is caring for a victim of post-traumatic stress syndrome. The nurse identifies which techniques as examples of therapeutic communication? (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

The techniques of therapeutic communication that are important to use with the PTSD patient are listening, reframing, normalizing responses, and working to develop trust.

Quiz 38: Rehabilitation Nursing