Question 1

The nurse knows that children in late infancy and toddlerhood are at risk for injury owing to

Accepted Answer

Injury is a leading cause of death in children over age 1,which is closely related to normal growth and development because of the child's increased oral activity and growing ability to explore the environment.

Question 2

The nurse is completing discharge education for the patient regarding home medications.Which patient behavior is an indication that the patient understands the directions regarding the antibiotic medication?

Accepted Answer

The patient stating the time frame for when the medication will be complete is the best answer.Nodding,reading the prescription out loud,or knowing where to get the prescription filled does not indicate understanding regarding directions for taking the antibiotic.

Question 3

The nurse discussed threats to adult safety with a college group.Which of the following statements would indicate understanding of the topic?

Accepted Answer

Lifestyle choices frequently affect adult safety.Smoking conveys great risk for pulmonary and cardiovascular disease.It is prudent to secure belongings.When an individual has been determined to be the designated driver,that individual does not consume alcohol,beer,or wine.Sleep is important no matter the age of the individual and is important for rest and integration of learning.The average young adult needs 6 1/2 to 8 hours of sleep each night.

Question 4

A homeless adult patient presents to the emergency department.The nurse obtains the following vital signs: temperature 94.8° F,blood pressure 100/56,apical pulse 56,respiratory rate 12.Which of the vital signs should be addressed immediately?

Accepted Answer

Hypothermia is defined as a core body temperature of 95° F or below.Homeless individuals are more at risk for hypothermia owing to exposure to the elements.

Question 5

The nurse is preparing a patient for surgery.The nurse explains that the reason for writing in indelible ink on the surgical site the word "correct" is to

Accepted Answer

The purpose of writing on the surgical site as part of the Universal Protocol from the Joint Commission is to distinguish the correct site on the correct patient and match with the correct surgeon for patient safety and prevention of wrong site surgery.All patients who are having an invasive procedure should receive labeling in many different ways,including the record and patient armbands.Writing in indelible ink may comply with the surgeon's preference,but safety is the driving factor.Although labeling of the site helps to meet regulatory standards,this is not the reason to do this activity-the reason is to keep the patient safe.

Question 6

The nurse preceptor recognizes the new nurse's ability to determine patient safety risks when which behavior is observed?

Accepted Answer

Needles,syringes,and other single-use injection devices should be used once and disposed of in safety red needle containers that will be disposed of properly.Patient identification should be checked multiple times a day,including before each medication,treatment,procedure,blood administration,and transfer,and at the beginning of each shift.Gathering more than one patient's medication increases the likelihood of error.Raising all four side rails is considered a restraint and requires special orders,assessment,and monitoring of the patient.

Question 7

The nurse is presenting an educational session on safety for parents of adolescents.The nurse should include which of the following teaching points?

Accepted Answer

Providing information about drugs and alcohol is important because adolescents may choose to participate in risk-taking behaviors.Adolescents need to socialize but need supervision.Parents can encourage and support learning processes associated with driving,but organized classes can help to decrease motor vehicle accidents.Seatbelts should be used all the time.

Question 8

The nurse is discussing with a patient's physician the need for restraint.The nurse indicates that alternatives have been utilized.What behaviors would indicate that the alternatives are working?

Accepted Answer

Offering diversionary activities such as something to hold is a way to keep the hands busy and provides an alternative to restraints.Assigning a room near the nurses' station or a chair at the desk can be an alternative for continuous monitoring.Getting up constantly can be cause for concern.Apologizing is not an alternative to restraints.Having a sitter sit with the patient to keep him occupied can be an alternative to restraints,but the sitter needs to be continuous.

Question 9

The nurse is teaching a group of older adults at an assisted-living facility about age-related physiological changes.Which question would be the most important to ask this group?

Accepted Answer

The ability to hear safety alerts and seek shelter is imperative to life safety.Although age-related changes may cause a decrease in sight that affects reading,and although difficulties in remembering short-term information and opening jars as arthritis sets in are important to patients and to those caring for them,being able to hear safety alerts is the priority.

Question 10

The nurse is caring for a patient with a urinary catheter.After the nurse empties the collection bag and disposes of the urine,the next step is to

Accepted Answer

After disposing of the urine,the first step in removing personal protective equipment is removing gloves and disposing of them properly.In this scenario,the next step would be to remove eye protection followed by hand hygiene.Wash hands if the hands are visibly soiled; otherwise the use of alcohol-based gel is indicated for routine decontamination of hands.

Question 11

The nurse is caring for an elderly patient admitted with nausea,vomiting,and diarrhea.Upon completing the health history,which priority concern would require collaboration with social services to address the patient's health care needs?

Accepted Answer

Electricity is needed for refrigeration of food,and lack of electricity could have contributed to the nausea,vomiting,and diarrhea-potential food poisoning.This discussion about the patient's electrical needs can be referred to social services.The water supply,the increased number of individuals in the home,and not having a microwave may or may not be concerns but do not pertain to the current health care needs of this patient.

Question 12

A nurse is teaching a community group of school-aged parents about safety.The most important item to prioritize and explain is how to check the proper fit of

Accepted Answer

Bicycle-related injuries are a major cause of death and disability among children.Proper fit of the helmet helps to decrease head injuries resulting from bicycle accidents.Goggles,shin guards,and sliding shorts are important sports safety equipment and should fit properly,but they do not protect from this leading cause of death.

Question 13

The nurse knows that four categories of risk have been identified in the health care environment.Which of the following provides the best examples of those risks?

Accepted Answer

The four categories are falls,patient-inherent accidents,procedure-related accidents,and equipment-related accidents.Wet floors contribute to falls,pinching finger in door is patient inherent,failure to use the lift is procedure related,and an alarm not functioning properly is equipment related.Tile floors and carpeted or dirty floors do not necessarily contribute to falls.Cold food,ice machine empty,and hallways blocked are not patient-inherent issues in the hospital setting but are more of patient satisfaction or infection control issues or fire safety issues.Scratchy linen,unlocked supply cabinet,and medication room locked are not procedure-related accidents.These are patient satisfaction issues and control of supply issues,and are examples of actually following a procedure correctly.Noisy alarms,call light within reach,and alarms set are not equipment-related accidents but are patient satisfaction issues and examples of following a procedure correctly.

Question 14

The nurse is caring for a hospitalized patient.Which of the following behaviors alerts the nurse to consider the need for restraint?

Accepted Answer

Restraints are utilized only when alternatives have been exhausted,the patient continues a behavior that can be harmful to himself or others,and the restraint is clinically justified.In this circumstance,continuing to remove a needed nasogastric tube would meet these criteria.Refusing to call for help,although unsafe,is not a reason for restraint.Getting confused at night regarding the time or not sleeping and bothering the staff to ask for items is not a reason for restraint.

Question 15

The nurse identifies that a patient has received Mylanta (simethicone)instead of the prescribed Pepto-Bismol (bismuth subsalicylate)for the problem of indigestion.The nurse's next intervention is to

Accepted Answer

After providing an incorrect medication,assessing and monitoring the patient to determine the effects of the medication is the first step.Notifying the physician and providing treatment would be the best next step.After the patient has stabilized,completing an incident report would be the last step in the process.

Question 16

A patient has been admitted and placed on fall precautions.The nurse explains to the patient that interventions for the precautions include

Accepted Answer

Placing a high risk for falls armband on the patient encourages communication among the whole interdisciplinary team.Anyone who interacts with the patient should see this armband,understand its meaning,and assist the patient as necessary.The timing of visitors would not affect falls.All four side rails are considered a restraint and can contribute to falling.Individuals on high risk for fall alerts should be checked frequently,at least every hour.

Question 17

The patient has been diagnosed with a respiratory illness and complains of shortness of breath.The nurse adjusts the temperature to facilitate the comfort of the patient.What is the usual comfort range for most patients?

Accepted Answer

The comfort zone for most individuals is the range between 65° F and 75° F (18.3° C to 23.9° C).The other ranges do not reflect the average person's comfort zone.

Question 18

Equipment-related accidents are risks in the health care agency.The nurse assesses for this risk when using

Accepted Answer

Sequential compression devices are used on a patient's extremities to assist in prevention of deep vein thrombosis and have the potential to malfunction and harm the patient.Measuring devices used by the nurse to measure urine,computer documentation,and manual dispensing devices can break or malfunction but are not used directly on a patient.

Question 19

The nurse is caring for a patient who suddenly becomes confused and tries to remove an intravenous infusion.The nurse begins to develop a plan to care for the patient.Which nursing intervention should take priority?

Accepted Answer

When a patient becomes suddenly confused,the priority is to assess the patient,including checking laboratory test and oxygen status and treating and eliminating the cause of the change in mental status.If interventions and alternatives are exhausted,the nurse working with the physician may determine the need for restraints.

Question 20

A home health nurse is performing a home assessment for safety.Which of the following comments by the patient would indicate a need for further education?

Accepted Answer

Allowing a car to run in the garage introduces carbon monoxide into the environment and decreases the available oxygen for human consumption.Garages should be opened and not just cracked to allow fresh air into the space and allay this concern.Checking the chimney and heater,changing the batteries on the detector,and following up on symptoms such as dizziness,nausea,and fatigue are all statements that would indicate that the individual has understood the education.

Quiz 27: Patient Safety