38 Flashcards
A nurse is instructing a colleague on how an antimicrobial produces a therapeutic effect. Which of the following should be included in the nurse’s teaching?
Penicillin interferes with synthesis of the bacteria cell wall.
Which of the following statements by a patient indicates to the nurse that additional teaching concerning the use of antimicrobials is needed?
“I will stop the antibiotic as soon as I feel better.”
A patient is to undergo extensive dental surgery. The dentist prescribes a course of antibiotics before beginning the procedure and continuing for 5 days after the procedure. This is an example of which of the following?
Prophylaxis
Which of the following is critical to helping prevent development of resistant strains of microbes in patients?
Maintain the optimum duration of the antimicrobial agent
A nurse is caring for a patient in the intensive care unit. The patient was admitted 2 hours ago with a severe infection and was started on empiric therapy. Which of the following tests will be done to identify drug susceptibility?
Culture and sensitivity
The following patients each have a bacterial infection requiring antibacterial drug therapy. Which patient will likely require the most long-term follow-up care by the nurse?
An elderly woman with a recent pacemaker insertion
When caring for infants and the elderly who are in need of an antimicrobial agent, the nurse is aware that when compared with doses for young and middle-aged adults, these patients may require
a lower dose.
A nurse is caring for an African-American man who has an infection. Which of the following drug therapies would the nurse question if ordered for this patient?
A sulfonamide
Which of the following nursing actions is most important in achieving successful antimicrobial therapy with vancomycin?
Promote adequate intake of fluids and nutrients
Which of the following is the most important nursing action to help prevent antimicrobial resistance in health care settings?
Good hand-washing between each patient contact
A nurse is aware that the concept of selective toxicity is foundational to antimicrobial therapy. Which of the following statements most accurately describes selective toxicity?
A drug harms microbes without harming human cells.
An immunocompromised patient in a critical care setting has developed a respiratory infection that has been attributed to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The nurse should anticipate that the patient will require treatment with
vancomycin.
Assessment of a newly-admitted patient reveals the characteristic signs and symptoms of cellulitis to the back of her hand. A swab of the patient’s wound was ordered upon admission, but the results of culture and sensitivity (C&S) testing are not yet available. What strategy will most likely be adopted to treat this patient’s infection?
Empiric antimicrobial therapy will be implemented until laboratory results are available.
A nurse has questioned why a patient’s physician has prescribed a narrow-spectrum antibiotic rather than a broad-spectrum drug in the treatment of a patient’s infection. Which of the following facts provides the best rationale for the use of narrow-spectrum antibiotics whenever possible?
The use of broad-spectrum antibiotics can create a risk for a superinfection.
A 70-year-old woman has been prescribed an antimicrobial drug for the treatment of a urinary tract infection (UTI). What teaching point should the nurse prioritize when providing patient education?
“Make sure that you take all the pills that you’re prescribed, even if your infection gets better.”
