NUR 155 Exam 4

The nurse is caring for a patient who will self-administer medication injections at home after discharge. How can the nurse best determine that the patient understands the technique and can administer the injections correctly?

• Watch the patient self-administer an injection.

• Call the patient the next day to ask if there is any difficulty with administering the injections.

• Provide written instructions about how to administer the injections.

• Ask the patient to express understanding as to how to administer the injections.

The nurse administers a medication to a patient. Shortly afterward, the patient develops an itchy rash over the entire body and reports feeling very unwell. What is the priority action of the nurse?

• Document the reaction in the patient’s chart.

• Obtain an order for hydrocortisone cream to relieve the itching.

• Determine if the patient is having any difficulty breathing.

• Leave the patient to notify the provider and the pharmacist.

During discharge teaching, the nurse is to give the patient a signed, dated, and timed prescription from the physician for medications to be taken at home. Which prescription drug order needs to be corrected before it is given to the patient?

• Methotrexate (Trexall) 8 tablets PO once weekly on Saturdays

• Warfarin (Coumadin) 5 mg PO daily before dinner

• Levothyroxine (Synthroid) 137 mcg PO daily before breakfast

• Zolpidem (Ambien) 5 mg PO at bedtime as needed for sleep

The nurse administers a medication to the patient. Which symptoms indicate to the nurse that the patient is having an allergic reaction rather than a side effect?

• Heartburn and nasty taste in the mouth

• Nausea and constipation

• Hair loss and sweaty skin

• Itchy rash and difficulty breathing

The nurse suspects that the patient is experiencing a drug toxicity rather than a side effect. Which question will the nurse ask to help confirm this suspicion?

• Are you taking any other medications?

• Have you ever taken this medication in the past?

• Have you been taking extra doses of the medication?

• When did you take your last dose of the medication?

The nurse is noting an order for a medication to be given TID. Which times will the nurse plan to administer the medication to the patient?

• 9 a.m., 1 p.m., 5 p.m., and 10 p.m.

• 9 a.m., 1 p.m., and 5 p.m.

• 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.

• Nightly before the patient goes to sleep

The nurse is to administer 1 mL of prochlorperazine (Compazine) 10 mg IM to an adult patient. Which syringe will the nurse select to administer the medication?

• 1 mL tuberculin syringe with 27 gauge, 1/2 inch needle

• 1 mL syringe with 27 gauge, 5/8 inch needle

• 3 mL syringe with 18 gauge, 1 inch needle

• 3 mL syringe with 23 gauge, 1 1/2 inch needle

The nurse is checking on the patient after administering pain medication 30 minutes previously. Which assessment finding best indicates to the nurse that the pain medication was effective?

• The patient states that the pain is relieved.

• The patient is sleeping soundly.

• The patient has a decreased heart rate.

• The patient is able to move without discomfort.

The nurse is caring for a patient who has severe abdominal pain caused by acute cholecystitis. The nurse recognizes which type of pain is this patient experiencing?

• Somatic pain

• Referred pain

• Radiating pain

• Visceral pain

The nurse is caring for a patient who just underwent laparoscopic appendectomy. The patient complains of severe postoperative pain between the shoulder blades. Which term best describes the pain that this patient is having?

• Neuropathic pain

• Referred pain

• Psychogenic pain

• Phantom pain