Exam 9: Working with an Individual Patient

The nurse caring for a hyperactive patient should be particularly concerned about assessing:

A nurse plans to teach a group of patients the basics of the change process. How should the elements be sequenced for the presentation?

A newly admitted patient tells the nurse, "The voices are bothering me." The nurse should first:

When the nurse formulates nursing diagnoses, it is necessary to be specific in describing dysfunctional behaviors so as to:

A nurse and patient agree on problems to be addressed during a brief hospital stay. Which inference is correct?

A patient with a history of self-mutilation says to the nurse, "I want to stop hurting myself." What is the initial step of the problem-solving process to be taken toward resolution of a patient's identified problem?

Realistic short-term goals for a patient who is newly admitted to the hospital should be achievable in:

A patient tells the nurse, "I was raped a month ago. Since then I've felt anxious and have been unable to talk normally to my husband. I've had frequent thoughts about cutting my wrists." What is the priority nursing concern regarding this patient?

Which patient behavior would require the most immediate limit-setting?

A patient has identified the need for better anger management and tells the nurse, "I'm afraid that someday I might explode." The best strategy for reducing this patient's fear of losing control is to:

A patient hospitalized for 6 days has made little progress toward outcomes written at the time of admission. The nurse decides that the lack of progress toward goals indicates that:

A realistic outcome for a patient with situational low self-esteem who will have a short inpatient stay would be for the patient to:

A nurse says, "What step would you like to take next to resolve this issue?" The patient stands up and shouts, "You are so controlling! You want me to do everything your way." What is the likely basis of the patient's behavior?

A student grumbles to an instructor, "I do not see the value of process recordings." The best justification of a process recording is that it is a:

A patient playing pool with another patient throws down the pool cue and begins swearing. The nurse should initially intervene by:

Assessment findings by the multidisciplinary team after a patient-intake interview are used primarily to:

A patient says, "I went out drinking only one time last week. At least I'm trying to change." The nurse responds, "I appreciate your effort, but you agreed to abstain from alcohol completely." The nurse is:

The nurse believes that a patient is having emotional pain. Which remark is most therapeutic?

A psychotic patient tells the nurse, "Get away from me or I'll hit you. You're sucking the thoughts out of my head." To best de-escalate the situation, the nurse should:

The nurse performing a mental status examination wants to assess for hallucinations. The nurse should ask: