Deck 14: Incontinence

Question 1

What condition should a nurse specifically ask a patient about when taking the medical history to reveal clues to the potential cause of urinary incontinence?

A) Diabetes mellitus
B) Impetigo
C) Hypotension
D) Trigeminal neuralgia

Answer 1

Diabetes mellitus

Question 2

What education should a nurse provide to a patient diagnosed with anorectal incontinence?

A) Take a daily laxative.
B) Increase fiber in the diet.
C) Perform pelvic muscle exercises.
D) Administer daily enemas.

Answer 2

Perform pelvic muscle exercises.

Question 3

A nurse is asked to instruct a patient on performing Kegel exercises to improve muscle endurance.The patient should be instructed to contract the muscles normally used to stop the flow of urine.Which proper technique should the nurse explain?

A) Contract for 3 to 4 seconds and relax for 10 seconds.
B) Contract for 10 seconds and relax for 10 seconds.
C) Contract for 10 seconds and relax for 3 to 4 seconds.
D) Contract for 3 to 4 seconds and relax for 3 to 4 seconds.

Answer 3

Contract for 10 seconds and relax for 10 seconds.

Question 4

A patient is having problems with fecal incontinence.What should the nurse encourage the patient to include in the diet to help with this problem?

A) Beans and broccoli
B) Potatoes and bread
C) Coffee and tea
D) Prune and grape juice

Question 5

What instruction should a nurse provide to a patient who has been diagnosed with stress incontinence?

A) "Restrict fluid intake to less than 1000 mL/day."
B) "Avoid fluids such as tea, coffee, and cola."
C) "Delay voiding until you feel the urge to void."
D) "Void no more often than every 4 hours."

Question 6

A physician's admission report states that a patient has a history of tarry stools.What should the nurse anticipate when assessing characteristics of this patient's stool?

A) Brown and formed
B) Bright red and liquid
C) Black and sticky
D) Clay colored and pasty

Question 7

A patient who has urinary incontinence is at risk for urinary tract infection and urinary calculi.What should the nurse teach the patient and family regarding the best way to prevent these complications?

A) Restrict the patient's fluid intake and frequency of incontinence.
B) Be sure the patient's voiding schedule is no more often than every 4 hours.
C) Use an indwelling catheter.
D) Encourage the patient to void at least every 2 hours and to take at least 2000 mL of fluid daily.

Question 8

A nurse is instructing a patient on the procedure for a clean-catch urine specimen.The patient has tried several times but is having difficulty understanding the instructions.What is the best action for the nurse to implement?

A) Take whatever specimen the patient can obtain.
B) Provide the patient with a clean bedpan to obtain the specimen.
C) Ask the laboratory personnel to come and obtain a urine specimen.
D) Call the physician for a catheterization order.

Question 9

Which result of postvoid catheterization would indicate adequate bladder emptying?

A) Less than 125 mL
B) Less than 100 mL
C) Less than 75 mL
D) Less than 50 mL

Question 10

What instruction should a nurse provide to a patient scheduled for a postvoid residual (PVR)test?

A) Call the nurse immediately after voiding.
B) After voiding, wait 10 minutes and void again.
C) Void into a flowmeter.
D) Avoid fluid intake for 8 hours before the test.

Question 11

A male patient with urinary incontinence has been using an external (condom)catheter.A nurse is assessing the patient's technique of applying the device.What techniques demonstrated by the patient would indicate the need for further instruction?

A) Washes the penis with warm soapy water and dries the area well before applying the device.
B) Encircles the penis with tape to secure the device.
C) Uses elastic tape and wraps in a spiral pattern to secure the device.
D) Carefully assesses the penis for any signs of irritation before applying the device.

Question 12

What should a nurse include as an essential factor when providing patient education about managing fecal overflow incontinence?

A) Daily use of mineral oil
B) Regular evacuation
C) Daily administration of enemas
D) Long-term use of mineral oil

Question 13

Bladder training instructions are being given to a patient who has a history of urinary incontinence.What initial instructions should the nurse give to the patient?

A) "Wait until you feel the urge to void."
B) "Don't void any more often than every 4 to 6 hours."
C) "Void every 2 to 3 hours while awake."
D) "Void any time you feel the urge."

Question 14

A patient being assessed by the physician states, "I wet my pants every time I cough." The nurse recognizes this as which type of incontinence?

A) Reflex
B) Overflow
C) Urge
D) Stress

Question 15

A patient who is scheduled for an urodynamic test asks the nurse why he is having this test.What is the nurse's best response?

A) "To test the capacity of the bladder."
B) "To see how much urine is left in the bladder after you have voided."
C) "To test the function of the nerves and muscles of the bladder."
D) "To detect involuntary passage of urine."

Question 16

A home health nurse is performing an evaluation of the home of an older adult patient to assess for any safety issues.What should the nurse recognize as an environmental factor that could lead to functional incontinence?

A) Night-light in the bathroom
B) Patient's room located on the opposite end of the house from the bathroom
C) Handrails located around the toilet and bathtub
D) Caregiver's room located close to the patient's room

Question 17

A patient tells a nurse that his bowel movements normally occur every morning after breakfast.What should the nurse understand as the rationale for this occurrence?

A) Fecal overflow
B) Gastrocolic reflex
C) Autonomic dysreflexia
D) Lack of sphincter control

Question 18

A patient who uses a pessary to help control incontinence is given instruction for its care.What should these instructions include?

A) Remove periodically for cleaning.
B) Douche daily with a cleansing solution.
C) Check for proper placement once a month.
D) Periodically deflate the cuff.

Question 19

A nurse is cleaning a patient with fecal incontinence when the patient says, "This is so embarrassing, and it makes me really angry." What is the nurse's best response?

A) "Don't worry about it; it's my job to clean you up."
B) "If you would have called me sooner, this wouldn't have happened."
C) "Do you feel angry and embarrassed?"
D) "Would you rather let your family clean you up?"

Question 20

A patient, talking to a home health nurse about urinary incontinence, gives the nurse a list of the current medications she is taking.What medication should the nurse recognize as possibly contributing to the patient's urinary incontinence?

A) Methylcellulose (Citrucel)
B) Diazepam (Valium)
C) Simvastatin (Zocor)
D) Digoxin (Lanoxin)

Question 21

What foods should a nurse explain to a patient can cause diarrhea?

A) Cheese
B) Cabbage
C) Rice
D) Yogurt

Question 22

A patient asks a home health nurse if the periurethral bulking procedure will be a permanent remedy to urinary incontinence.On what knowledge regarding the effects of this procedure should the nurse base a response?

A) Are permanent.
B) Are only helpful to men.
C) Usually last for approximately 6 months.
D) Remain for 2 or 3 years.

Question 23

What is the cause of symptomatic incontinence?

A) Colorectal disease
B) Gastrocolic reflex
C) Constipation
D) Nerve damage

Question 24

Which is true regarding the habit training technique prompted voiding? (Select all that apply.)

A) Is useful with cognitively impaired persons.
B) Helps the patient to recognize incontinence.
C) Is based on giving praise for staying dry.
D) Strengthens the pelvic floor.
E) Uses the Valsalva maneuver to force urine from bladder

Question 25

What should the nurse include in the plan of care to protect the skin integrity of an incontinent patient? (Select all that apply.)

A) Immediately remove wet garments and linens.
B) Wash skin with an antiseptic and towel dry.
C) Inspect for areas of redness and breakdown every morning.
D) Apply cornstarch to the perineum to absorb moisture.
E) Apply protective creams per agency policy.

Question 26

A nurse explains that the normal bladder will empty when it reaches the capacity of 200 to ______ mL.(Use numeric characters only.)

Question 27

The method by which a nurse manually expresses urine from the bladder by pressing gently on the lower abdomen is the ______ method.

Question 28

What does the uroflowmetry diagnostic tool measure?

A) Voiding duration
B) Specific gravity of urine
C) Effectiveness of the detrusor muscle
D) General bladder tone

Question 29

A patient with fecal incontinence should be taught the importance of maintaining good skin integrity.What should be the focus of a nurse's teaching?

A) Cleanse the perianal area thoroughly after each stool.
B) Use a fecal pouch.
C) Change incontinence undergarments once a day.
D) Take an over-the-counter laxative daily.

Question 30

What should a nurse include when providing instructions to a patient as to what to do when feeling the urge to void? (Select all that apply.)

A) Breathe deeply and try to relax.
B) Perform several Kegel maneuvers without resting in between.
C) Walk to the bathroom at a normal pace while performing Kegel maneuvers.
D) Distract herself with a book or a television program.
E) Stop what she is doing and sit down or stand quietly.

Question 31

A patient complains, "My allergies make me sneeze and urinate in my pants.I take my allergy drug and I urinate in my pants even more." The nurse assesses that the drug the patient is referring to is an ______.