Critical Thinking

Question 1

A 65-year-old male the family brings the patient to the emergency room because he took an entire bottle of pills what action should the nurse take first?

Answer 1

Determined the patient’s level of consciousness

Question 2

An 80 year old male who has used continuous oxygen for the past three years – while making a home visit the wife tells the nurse that her husband was doing well on 2 L of oxygen per minute until late last night when he developed severe shortness of breath on the way to the bathroom. What action should the nurse take first?

Answer 2

Assess the patient’s oxygen saturation by pulse oximeter

Question 3

A 41-year-old male – the patient is complaining of severe stomach pain and states that he has been vomiting all the time. What should the nurse do first?

Answer 3

Administer a prescribed pain medication

Question 4

The wife of a wealthy owner of the town’s bank – the patient and her husband arrive on the unit while orienting the patient to the hospital room, the nurses notice that the patient had some earrings in a drawer of the bedside table. What is the best action for the nurse to take?

Answer 4

Advise the patient to have her husband take the items home when he leaves

Question 5

A 45-year-old female who is 5 foot two tall weighs 200 pounds and has smoked since age 21. The patient comes to the clinic with a complaint of leg pain.it is most important for the nurse to obtain information about which previous occurrence?

Answer 5

I previous blood clot in the leg

Question 6

A 61-year-old female, the patient has a fever of unknown origin. The nurse administered a fever reducing medication 30 minutes ago. At this time there has been no decrease in the patients fever. What action would be best for the nurse to take?

Answer 6

Sponge the patient with cool water

Question 7

A 70-year-old male who is relatively healthy, a liquid medication as prescribed for the patient. Prior to administering to prescribe medication, what intervention has the highest priority?

Answer 7

Determine if the patient is allergic to the medication

Question 8

A 58-year-old female, while the nurse is offering the patient her morning medications, she tells the nurse that she does not recall ever taking a pill that was pink colored what should the nurse do in response to the patients comment?

Answer 8

Withhold the medication until the patient’s prescription is verified

Question 9

1. A 63-year-old with a burn on the left lower leg who is complaining of pain.
2. A 45-year-old with pneumonia, complaining of shortness of breath.
3. A 31-year-old with a domino pain who has just vomited blood.
4. An 88-year-old who has right sided paralysis and wants to be helped to the bathroom immediately.
   The nurse is caring for all of these patients who should she see first?

Answer 9

The 45-year-old with pneumonia and shortness of breath.

Question 10

1. A 13-year-old female with a kidney infection who reports that there is lots of blood in her urine.
2. An 18-year-old male with acute alcohol poisoning who is seeing bugs on the walls
3. A 21-year-old female with inflammatory bowel disease who is soaked a dressing three hours after surgery.
4. A 25-year-old male who is sobbing in his room after being told he has testicular cancer.
   The nurse is caring for these patients which one should she see first?

Answer 10

The 21-year-old who is three hours post postoperative and has soaked the dressing

Question 11

1. A 42-year-old with diabetes who is blind and asking to get up and moved to a chair. 2.An 88-year-old with lower body paralysis who wants to be turned in bed.
2. A 17-year-old with asthma who smokes and has been in the bathroom for 30 minutes.
3. A 55-year-old with cardiac disease who tells the nurse get the TV fixed or I’m leaving this place.

A nurse is caring for all four of these patients which one should she see first?

Answer 11

The 17-year-old with asthma who may be smoking in the bathroom

Question 12

An elderly female accompanied by her middle-age son, the patient is being discharged after a 15 day staying on the medical unit, and the sun offers the nurse a box of candy as a gesture of thanks for caring for his mother. What should the nurse do in response to the offer of his gift?

Answer 12

Sincerely think the sign and share the candy with all staff members on the unit

Question 13

A 25-year-old female who has smoked since age 12, the patient is complaining of skipped heartbeats which instruction is most important for the nurse to provide this patient?

Answer 13

Call for assistance if she feels weak or dizzy when getting out of bed

Question 14

A frail 88-year-old male who has recently become slightly confused, the nurse is making a home visit and assesses the safety features of the home environment. Which suggestion would be most important for the nurse to provide the family?

Answer 14

Eliminate any throw rugs from the floor

Question 15

A 55-year-old female with a family history of hypertension, the patient is concerned about her health and states I have severe headaches for the last six months. I think I might have high blood pressure the nurse determines that the woman’s blood pressure is 138/86 – hi Norma what action would be best for the nurse to take?

Answer 15

Asked the patient about the frequency, timing and quality of her headaches

Question 16

A 35-year-old female with a history of asthma, the patient has been using a steroid in Hailer because she is short of breath. However she states that her shortness of breath is no better. What is the most important information for the nurse to obtain

Answer 16

Method of using the inhaler.

Question 17

An older confused and Male, at 3 AM the patient who thinks he is in the bathroom defecates in the bed the bed needs to be changed. However there are no beds sheets at the nursing unit what action should the nurse take first?

Answer 17

Ask a nursing assistant to go to another unit and borrow linens

Question 18

.A 25 year old female hospitalized for anorexia, the charge nurse denies the patient permission to pass dinner trays. What is the most important reason for the nurse to deny this anorexic permission to pass the dinner trays?

Answer 18

Treatment protocol for an Anorexics mandates that they avoid preoccupation with food.

Question 19

A 75-year-old male who had a heart attack for years ago, the patient tells the nurse even though I stop smoking 10 years ago I have a terrible cough what should the nurse take first

Answer 19

Auscultate all lung fields

Question 20

A 70-year-old man dying of prostate cancer, nurse aide who is in charge of a medical unit notices that a dying patient continues to moan in pain after receiving intravenous injection of morphines.when nurse be is caring for him nurse a suspect that nurse be may be diluting the patients does and taking the morphine to feed an addiction what should nurse aide do in a situation

Answer 20

Notify the shift supervisor and the unit director of the circumstances before taking action

Question 21

The patient is a 29-year-old male, a lower leg cast was applied yesterday to a fractured leg. Today the patient tells the nurse that he is in terrible pain which action is most important for the nurse to take?

Answer 21

Check the patients toes for adequate circulation

Question 22

A 54-year-old male who weighs 275 pounds, he is 510 and has family members who have died of heart disease. He comes to the clinic stating that he is had several episodes of chest pain in the last week what is the most important action for the nurse to take

Answer 22

I asked the patient to describe the chest pain

Question 23

A seven-year-old child, a nurse arrives with an injection containing preoperative sedation that must be given to the child now. The child asked the nurse to the shot will hurt what response should the nurse give the child?

Answer 23

Yes but it won’t hurt for a very long and soon you will be sleepy

Question 24

835 year old female, the patient is admitted with a diagnosis of a domino pain and diarrhea. Which action should the nurse take first?

Answer 24

Initiate intravenous fluids

Question 25

A 51-year-old male, the patient is pale and has dark circles under his eyes and response to questions with a soft low voice. He tells the nurse that he’s not slept well for months but denies any type of pain what information is the most important for the nurse at Tang?

Answer 25

The existence of a significant life in the last year that has caused anxiety

Question 26

A 19-year-old male who is previously been healthy, the patient complains that he is losing weight despite eating all the time considering the patient’s age and complaint which diagnostic test is likely to provide the most important information?

Answer 26

A fingerstick for blood sugar level

Question 27

The patient – and I don’t with diabetes Mellitus Who is just giving a morning dose of insulin which lowers the blood sugar. The patients breakfast tray arrives and the nurse notices that the pancake syrup and sugar packets have not been sub stained with products containing artificial sweeteners what should the nurse do first in thissituation?

Answer 27

Remove foods containing sugar and off her sugar substitutes

Question 28

A terminally ill male- nurse A and an unidentified woman ride the elevator to the fifth floor nurse b joins them on the elevator and exclaims that a code has just been called on a male patient on the fifth floor and he is not expected to live what should nurse a do in a situation?

Answer 28

Tell nurse be to stop discussing the client situation in a public place

Question 29

An elderly confused female and a semi private room on a hospital medical unit – the patient is yelling loudly at 3 AM and awakens her roommate who calls the nurse for assistance what should the nurse do first in this situation?

Answer 29

Assess the confused patient for causes of her behavior

Question 30

A 75-year-old male – the family brings the patient to the emergency room because they witnessed him have a seizure. The patient is hallucinating and cries loudly out to the nurse get the dogs out of here the nearest place is the patient in a cubicle where he can be seen from the nurses station what action should be best for the nurse to take?

Answer 30

Ask the family to remain with the patient