Exam 24: Anger, Aggression, and Violence

An intramuscular dose of antipsychotic medication needs to be administered to a patient who is becoming increasingly more aggressive. The patient is in the day room where there are other patients. The nurse should enter the day room:

A patient has a history of impulsively acting out anger by striking others. Which would be an appropriate plan for avoiding such incidents?

A patient being admitted suddenly pulls a knife from a coat pocket and threatens, "I will kill anyone who tries to get near me." An emergency code is called. The patient is safely disarmed and placed in seclusion. Justification for the use of seclusion is that the patient:

A patient diagnosed with pneumonia has been hospitalized for 4 days. Family members describe the patient as "a difficult person who finds fault with others." The patient verbally abuses nurses for providing poor care. The most likely explanation for this behavior lies in:

Which central nervous system structures are most associated with anger and aggression? (Select all that apply.)

An emergency department nurse realizes that the spouse of a patient is becoming increasingly irritable while waiting. Which intervention should the nurse use to prevent escalation of anger?

What information from a patient's record indicates compromised coping skills and the need for careful assessment of the risk for violence? A history of:

Which assessment finding presents the greatest risk for violent behavior? A patient who:

A patient with burn injuries has had good coping skills for several weeks. Today, a new nurse is poorly organized and does not follow the patient's usual schedule. By mid-afternoon, the patient is angry and loudly complains to the nurse manager. Which is the nurse manager's best response?

Which behavior best demonstrates aggression?

A patient has been responding to auditory hallucinations throughout the day. The patient approaches the nurse, shaking a fist and shouting, "Back off!" and then goes into the day room. As the nurse follows the patient into the day room, the nurse should:

After an assault by a patient, a nurse has difficulty sleeping, startles easily, and is preoccupied with the incident. The nurse says, "I dread facing potentially violent patients." Which response would be the most urgent reason for this nurse to seek supervision?

Which behaviors are most consistent with the clinical picture of a patient who is becoming increasingly aggressive? (Select all that apply.)

Which medication should a nurse administer to provide immediate intervention for a psychotic patient whose aggressive behavior continues to escalate despite verbal intervention?

A patient with a history of anger and impulsivity is hospitalized after an accident resulting in injuries. When in pain, the patient loudly scolds the nurse for "not knowing enough to give me pain medicine when I need it." Which intervention would best address this problem?

When a patient's aggression quickly escalates, which principle applies to the selection of nursing interventions?

Because an intervention is required to control a patient's aggressive behavior, a critical incident debriefing takes place. Which topics should be the focus of the discussion? (Select all that apply.)

A patient is pacing the hall near the nurses' station and swearing loudly. An appropriate initial intervention for the nurse would be to address the patient by name and say:

A patient sits in silence for 20 minutes after a therapy appointment, appearing tense and vigilant. The patient abruptly stands and paces back and forth, clenching and unclenching fists, and then stops and stares in the face of a staff member. The patient is:

A patient with severe physical injuries is irritable, angry, and belittles the nurses. As a nurse changes a dressing, the patient screams, "Don't touch me! You are so stupid. You will make it worse!" Which intervention uses a cognitive technique to help this patient?