After routine patient contact, hand washing should last at least:
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Solution
Option A: Depending on the degree of exposure to pathogens, hand washing may last from 10 seconds to 4 minutes. After routine patient contact, hand washing for 30 seconds effectively minimizes the risk of pathogen transmission.
Effective hand washing requires the use of:
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Solution
Option A: Soaps and detergents are used to help remove bacteria because of their ability to lower the surface tension of water and act as emulsifying agents.
Option B: Hot water may lead to skin irritation or burns.
Which of the following patients is at greater risk for contracting an infection?
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Solution
Option A: Leukopenia is a decreased number of leukocytes (white blood cells), which are important in resisting infection.
Options B, C, and D: None of the other situations would put the patient at risk for contracting an infection; taking broad-spectrum antibiotics might actually reduce the infection risk.
Which of the following will probably result in a break in sterile technique for respiratory isolation?
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Solution
Option C: Respiratory isolation, like strict isolation, requires that the door to the door patient’s room remain closed.
Options A and B: However, the patient’s room should be well ventilated, so opening the window or turning on the ventricular is desirable.
Option D: The nurse does not need to wear gloves for respiratory isolation, but good hand washing is important for all types of isolation.
Which element in the circular chain of infection can be eliminated by preserving skin integrity?
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Solution
Option D: In the circular chain of infection, pathogens must be able to leave their reservoir and be transmitted to a susceptible host through a portal of entry, such as broken skin.
When a patient in the terminal stages of lung cancer begins to exhibit loss of consciousness, a major nursing priority is to:
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Solution
Option A: Ensuring the patient’s safety is the most essential action at this time.
Options B, C, and D: The other nursing actions may be necessary but are not a major priority.
Before rigor mortis occurs, the nurse is responsible for:
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Solution
Option B: The nurse must place a pillow under the deceased person’s head and shoulders to prevent blood from settling in the face and discoloring it.
Option A: She is required to bathe only soiled areas of the body since the mortician will wash the entire body.
Option C: Before wrapping the body in a shroud, the nurse places a clean gown on the body and closes the eyes and mouth.
The nurse’s most important legal responsibility after a patient’s death in a hospital is:
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Solution
Option C: The nurse is legally responsible for labeling the corpse when death occurs in the hospital.
Options A and B: She may be involved in obtaining consent for an autopsy or notifying the coroner or medical examiner of a patient’s death; however, she is not legally responsible for performing these functions.
Option D: The attending physician may need information from the nurse to complete the death certificate, but he is responsible for issuing it.
Which of the following is the most common cause of dementia among elderly persons?
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Solution
Option D: Alzheimer;s disease, sometimes known as senile dementia of the Alzheimer’s type or primary degenerative dementia, is an insidious; progressive, irreversible, and degenerative disease of the brain whose etiology is still unknown.
Option A: Parkinson’s disease is a neurologic disorder caused by lesions in the extrapyramidal system and manifested by tremors, muscle rigidity, hypokinesia, dysphagia, and dysphonia.
Option B: Multiple sclerosis, a progressive, degenerative disease involving demyelination of the nerve fibers, usually begins in young adulthood and is marked by periods of remission and exacerbation.
Option C: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease marked by progressive degeneration of the neurons, eventually results in atrophy of all the muscles; including those necessary for respiration.
Which of the following vascular system changes results from aging?
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Solution
Option D: Aging decreases the elasticity of the blood vessels, which leads to increased peripheral resistance and decreased blood flow. These changes, in turn, increase the workload of the left ventricle.