Deck 3: Special Environments

Question 1

Which statement regarding heart-monitoring devices in the cardiac care unit is true?

A) Femoral vein monitors are the most informative cardiac monitoring devices.
B) In general, it is more serious to disrupt a venous line than an arterial line.
C) In general, the closer a device is to the heart, the riskier its disruption is.
D) Nurses and physicians are the only professionals trained to read the cardiac monitors.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

List five recommendations made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent falls in the home.

Answer 2

Provide good lighting, remove throw rugs, move furniture out of the way, remove objects from the floor, bundle wires or cords, place light switches at the top and bottom of the stairs, repair loose carpeting or handrails, add handrails to staircases, use non-slip mats in the bathtub, move items from higher shelves to lower ones, install grab bars for the tub and toilet, put lamps on both sides of the bed, ensure that medications are regularly checked by a healthcare professional, schedule routine vision examinations

Question 3

Stresses to patients in critical care units can be severe enough to result in negative psychological consequences. A state of confusion that develops in response to these stresses is known as ____________________.

Answer 3

ICU delirium
ICU syndrome
ICU psychosis

Question 4

For some patients, the psychological stresses brought on by the ICU environment can be intense enough that they result in symptoms similar to which of the following conditions?

A) Bipolar disorder
B) Hypochondria
C) Posttraumatic stress disorder
D) Long-term dementia

Question 5

Which of the following is the best way to assess the necessary preparations for providing a safe environment when you are going to work with a patient in the critical care unit?

A) Ask the nurse to let you know what you should do.
B) Begin the treatment and respond to the environment as problems arise.
C) Bring an additional person to help you evaluate the situation.
D) Envision what you plan to do so you can prepare before beginning.

Question 6

You have just received a referral to evaluate a patient who is in the cardiac care unit. You have already checked the patient's chart and spoken with the patient's nurse before entering the room. Which of the following tasks is most important to attend to when you are working with this patient?

A) Silencing any audible alarms on the machines and monitors
B) Keeping closely to your timed treatment schedule
C) Preventing any lines or tubes from becoming pinched or detached
D) Monitoring the responses of family members in the room during the treatment

Question 7

List three factors that could result in homelessness.

Question 8

Which statement regarding patient positioning and tube feeding is true?

A) Adults who receive nasogastric tube feedings must wait 30 min before lying flat.
B) Patients who receive percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube feedings should lie flat during feeding.
C) Patients who receive tube feedings of any kind must never lie flat.
D) Pediatric patients who receive nasogastric tube feedings must lie flat for 1 hr after feeding.

Question 9

Which of the following clinician behaviors is most likely to help a patient cope with the challenges of the ICU environment?

A) Performing therapy as passively as possible to avoid disturbing the patient
B) Keeping the lights on all the time to reduce the patient's fear
C) Placing familiar objects within the patient's line of sight
D) Rotating the therapists treating the patient to prevent patient boredom

Question 10

When you enter your patient's ICU room, you notice immediately that the patient has several machines running with tubing attached to the patient. You are planning to assist the patient to the bedside chair and note that one of the machines (with an IV tube) is on the side of the bed opposite the chair and monitoring equipment. What should you do?

A) Change your plan to include only supine bed activities.
B) Contact the patient's nurse and ask him or her to reposition the IV.
C) Defer your treatment until the patient's IV is removed or replaced.
D) Disconnect the IV and reposition the machine on the other side of the bed.

Question 11

Patients have varied home environments that include a variety of meaningful emotional and cultural attachments. It is important as clinicians to avoid ________________a person's choice of environment, whatever it might be.

Question 12

All of the following actions are advisable when you have completed a treatment in the ICU, except

A) paging the physician and reporting the results of the treatment to him or her.
B) checking with the nursing staff to let them know that you are finished.
C) reinspecting the lines, tubes, and associated attachments.
D) repositioning the patient appropriately, including rails and bed alarms, if any.

Question 13

Which statement best reflects the current condition of individuals who are homeless in the United States?

A) Most persons who are homeless are unwilling to seek steady employment.
B) Persons sleeping in publicly supervised residences are considered homeless.
C) Persons who are homeless generally do not have children.
D) The average age of persons who are homeless is 65 yr.
Short Answer

Question 14

List two things you should watch for when you are working with patients in special environments such as the ICU.

Question 15

List four health conditions commonly experienced by persons who are homeless.