Exam 27: Management of Clients with Musculoskeletal Trauma or Overuse

A client with long-standing dementia is sent to the emergency department from the nursing home in which the client resides. The report from the nursing staff states that the client is complaining of vague pain in the buttocks but seems to be ambulating without problems. The family requested the transfer. The emergency department nurse would suspect

Two days after an accident in which a client sustained multiple injuries, including fractures, the client becomes confused and dyspneic and has a fever of 103.4° F. The nurse assesses that the client has developed

In the application of a plaster cast, the most appropriate nursing intervention is to

The nurse assesses an 85-year-old client who has fallen and finds crepitus and swelling below the right elbow. The nurse interprets these findings as

The initial process of bone healing occurring at the fracture site in the first 72 hours is

A victim of a motorcycle accident has an open fracture of the left femur with an associated wound of 8 cm. The nurse's assessment records this injury as grade

A client is considering running as an exercise. The nurse counsels that to prevent injuries, it is important before running to

When a 68-year-old client with a new full-leg cast exhibits bilateral pedal edema, the nurse would assess for

A client with a left lower leg fracture in a cast for 3 days complains to the nurse that the pain medication does not relieve the pain any more. The priority action by the nurse would be to

In caring for a client in skeletal traction with a nursing diagnosis of Risk for Injury related to traction, the nurse should take special care to

The nurse informs a client that her plaster cast is dry because the nurse has assessed that the cast is

Important self-care measures the nurse should teach to the client who is expected to be immobile in a wheelchair for a lengthy period of time include