Nursing practice questions with comprehensive rationales
NurseDive Free Nursing Practice Question
A nurse is reviewing discharge instructions with the family of a client who sustained a minor head injury earlier in the day. Which of the following instructions should the nurse include?
A. Apply heat to the area of swelling for the first 48 hr.
B. Repeatedly ask the client questions to check for orientation.
C. Do not let the client engage in strenuous activities for 1 week.
The nurse should instruct the family to not let the client engage in strenuous activities for 1 week following a minor head injury. This can help prevent further injury and allow the client to rest and recover. Applying heat to the area of swelling for the first 48 hr, repeatedly asking the client questions to check for orientation, and encouraging the client to sleep for the first 24 hr are not appropriate instructions for the nurse to include in this situation. Applying heat can increase swelling and inflammation. Repeatedly asking the client questions can be disorienting and confusing. Encouraging the client to sleep for the first 24 hr is not necessary and could interfere with monitoring the client's condition.
D. Encourage the client to sleep for the first 24 hr.
This question is an excerpt from Nurse Dive's nursing test bank - ATI Custom MS Nurse Proctored Exam. Take the full exam now
Full Explanation
The nurse should instruct the family to not let the client engage in strenuous activities for 1 week following a minor head injury. This can help prevent further injury and allow the client to rest and recover.
Applying heat to the area of swelling for the first 48 hr, repeatedly asking the client questions to check for orientation, and encouraging the client to sleep for the first 24 hr are not appropriate instructions for the nurse to include in this situation. Applying heat can increase swelling and inflammation. Repeatedly asking the client questions can be disorienting and confusing. Encouraging the client to sleep for the first 24 hr is not necessary and could interfere with monitoring the client's condition.
Similar Questions
A nurse enters a client's room and finds the client on the floor in the clonic phase of a tonic-clonic seizure. Which of the following interventions should the nurse take?
A. Insert a padded tongue blade into the client's mouth.
B. Keep the client in a supine position.
C. Gently restrain the client's extremities.
D. Place a pillow under the client's head.
The nurse should place a pillow under the client's head if the client is on the floor in the clonic phase of a tonic-clonic seizure. This can help protect the client's head from injury during the seizure. Inserting a padded tongue blade into the client's mouth, keeping the client in a supine position, and gently restraining the client's extremities are not appropriate interventions for the nurse to take in this situation. Inserting a padded tongue blade into the client's mouth can cause injury to the teeth and gums. Keeping the client in a supine position can increase the risk of aspiration. Gently restraining the client's extremities can cause injury and is not recommended during a seizure.
Full Explanation
The nurse should place a pillow under the client's head if the client is on the floor in the clonic phase of a tonic-clonic seizure. This can help protect the client's head from injury during the seizure.
Inserting a padded tongue blade into the client's mouth, keeping the client in a supine position, and gently restraining the client's extremities are not appropriate interventions for the nurse to take in this situation. Inserting a padded tongue blade into the client's mouth can cause injury to the teeth and gums. Keeping the client in a supine position can increase the risk of aspiration. Gently restraining the client's extremities can cause injury and is not recommended during a seizure.
A nurse is assisting in the planning of preventative care for a client who is restless following a traumatic brain injury with increased intracranial pressure. Which of the following is an appropriate nursing action?
A. Administer opioids.
B. Apply restraints.
C. Reduce stimuli.
An appropriate nursing action for a client who is restless following a traumatic brain injury with increased intracranial pressure is to reduce stimuli. This can help calm the client and prevent further increases in intracranial pressure. The nurse can reduce stimuli by minimizing noise and light in the client's environment and limiting the number of visitors. Administering opioids, applying restraints, and blackening the room are not appropriate nursing actions for this situation. Administering opioids can cause respiratory depression and is not recommended for clients with increased intracranial pressure. Applying restraints can increase agitation and is not recommended for clients who are restless. Blackening the room can disorient the client and is not recommended.
D. Blacken the room.
Full Explanation
An appropriate nursing action for a client who is restless following a traumatic brain injury with increased intracranial pressure is to reduce stimuli. This can help calm the client and prevent further increases in intracranial pressure. The nurse can reduce stimuli by minimizing noise and light in the client's environment and limiting the number of visitors.
Administering opioids, applying restraints, and blackening the room are not appropriate nursing actions for this situation. Administering opioids can cause respiratory depression and is not recommended for clients with increased intracranial pressure. Applying restraints can increase agitation and is not recommended for clients who are restless. Blackening the room can disorient the client and is not recommended.
A nurse is caring for a client who is difficult to arouse and very sleepy for several hours following a generalized tonic-clonic seizure. Which of the following descriptions should the nurse use when documenting this finding in the medical record?
A. Presence of absence seizures
B. Postictal phase
The nurse should use the term "postictal phase" when documenting the client's difficulty arousing and sleepiness for several hours following a generalized tonic-clonic seizure. The postictal phase is the period of time immediately following a seizure during which the client may be difficult to arouse and very sleepy. Presence of absence seizures, presence of automatisms, and aura phase are not appropriate descriptions for the nurse to use when documenting this finding in the medical record. Absence seizures are a type of seizure characterized by brief episodes of staring and unresponsiveness. Automatisms are repetitive, unconscious movements that can occur during a seizure. The aura phase is a warning sign that can occur before a seizure.
C. Presence of automatisms
D. Aura phase
Full Explanation
The nurse should use the term "postictal phase" when documenting the client's difficulty arousing and sleepiness for several hours following a generalized tonic-clonic seizure. The postictal phase is the period of time immediately following a seizure during which the client may be difficult to arouse and very sleepy.
Presence of absence seizures, presence of automatisms, and aura phase are not appropriate descriptions for the nurse to use when documenting this finding in the medical record. Absence seizures are a type of seizure characterized by brief episodes of staring and unresponsiveness. Automatisms are repetitive, unconscious movements that can occur during a seizure. The aura phase is a warning sign that can occur before a seizure.
