Eating disorders Flashcards
- Over the past year, a woman has cooked gourmet meals for her family but eats only tiny servings. This person wears layered loose clothing. Her current weight is 42 kg, a loss of 14 kg. Which medical diagnosis is most likely?
a.Binge eating
b.Bulimia nervosa
c.Anorexia nervosa
d.Eating disorder not otherwise specified
ANS: C
Overly controlled eating behaviours, extreme weight loss, preoccupation with food, and wearing several layers of loose clothing to appear larger are part of the clinical picture of an individual with anorexia nervosa. The individual with bulimia usually is near normal weight. The binge eater is often overweight. The patient with eating disorder not otherwise specified may be obese. See relationship to audience response question.
Disturbed body image is a nursing diagnosis established for a patient diagnosed with an eating disorder. Which outcome indicator is most appropriate to monitor?
a.Weight, muscle, and fat congruence with height, frame, age, and sex
b.Calorie intake is within required parameters of treatment plan
c.Weight reaches established normal range for the patient
d.Patient expresses satisfaction with body appearance
NS: D
Body image disturbances are considered improved or resolved when the patient is consistently satisfied with his or her own appearance and body function. This is a subjective consideration. The other indicators are more objective but less related to the nursing diagnosis.
A patient referred to the eating disorders clinic has lost 15 kg during the past 3 months. To assess eating patterns, which of the following should the nurse should ask the patient?
a.“Do you often feel fat?”
b.“Who plans the family meals?”
c.“What do you eat in a typical day?”
d.What do you think about your present weight?”
ANS: C
Although all the questions might be appropriate to ask, only “What do you eat in a typical day?” focuses on the eating patterns. Asking if the patient often feels fat focuses on distortions in body image. Questions about family meal planning are unrelated to eating patterns. Asking for the patient’s thoughts on present weight explores the patient’s feelings about weight.
A patient diagnosed with anorexia nervosa virtually stopped eating 5 months ago and lost 25% of body weight. A nurse asks, “Describe what you think about your present weight and how you look.” Which response by the patient is most consistent with the diagnosis?
a.“I am fat and ugly.”
b.“What I think about myself is my business.”
c.I’m grossly underweight, but that’s what I want.”
d.“I’m a few pounds overweight, but I can live with it.”
ANS: A
Untreated patients with anorexia nervosa do not recognize their thinness. They perceive themselves to be overweight and unattractive. The patient with anorexia will usually tell people perceptions of self. The patient with anorexia does not recognize his or her thinness and will persist in trying to lose more weight.
patient was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. The history shows the patient virtually stopped eating 5 months ago and lost 25% of body weight. The serum potassium is currently 2.7 mg/dL. Which nursing diagnosis applies?
a.Adult failure to thrive related to abuse of laxatives as evidenced by electrolyte imbalances and weight loss
b.Disturbed energy field related to physical exertion in excess of energy produced through caloric intake as evidenced by weight loss and hyperkalemia
c.ineffective health maintenance related to self-induced vomiting as evidenced by swollen parotid glands and hyperkalemia
d.Imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirements related to reduced oral intake as evidenced by loss of 25% of body weight and hypokalemia
ANS: D
The patient’s history and lab result support the nursing diagnosis Imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirements. Data are not present that the patient uses laxatives, induces vomiting, or exercises excessively. The patient has hypokalemia rather than hyperkalemia.
Outpatient treatment is planned for a patient diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. Select the most important desired outcome related to the nursing diagnosis Imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirements. Within 1 week, which of the following will the patient do?
a.Weigh self accurately using balanced scales
b.Limit exercise to less than 2 hours daily
c.Select clothing that fits properly
d.Gain 1 to 1.5 kg
ANS: D
Only the outcome of a gain of 1 to 1.5 kg can be accomplished within 1 week when the patient is an outpatient. The focus of an outcome would not be on the patient weighing self. Limiting exercise and selecting proper clothing are important, but weight gain takes priority.
Which nursing intervention has the highest priority as a patient diagnosed with anorexia nervosa begins to gain weight?
a.Assess for depression and anxiety.
b.Observe for adverse effects of refeeding.
c.Communicate empathy for the patient’s feelings.
d.Help the patient balance energy expenditures with caloric intake.
ANS: B
The nursing intervention of observing for adverse effects of refeeding most directly relates to weight gain and is a priority. Assessing for depression and anxiety, as well as communicating empathy, relate to coping. Helping the patient achieve balance between energy expenditure and caloric intake is an inappropriate intervention.
A patient diagnosed with anorexia nervosa is resistant to weight gain. What is the rationale for establishing a contract with the patient to participate in measures designed to produce a specified weekly weight gain?
a.Because severe anxiety concerning eating is expected, objective and subjective data may be unreliable.
b.Patient involvement in decision making increases sense of control and promotes compliance with treatment.
c.Because of increased risk of physical problems with refeeding, the patient’s permission is needed.
d.A team approach to planning the diet ensures that physical and emotional needs will be met.
A sense of control for the patient is vital to the success of therapy. A diet that controls weight gain can allay patient fears of too-rapid weight gain. Data collection is not the reason for contracting. A team approach is wise but is not a guarantee that needs will be met. Permission for treatment is a separate issue. The contract for weight gain is an additional aspect of treatment.
The nursing care plan for a patient diagnosed with anorexia nervosa includes the intervention “monitor for complications of refeeding.” Which system should a nurse closely monitor for dysfunction?
a.Renal
b.Endocrine
c.Integumentary
d.Cardiovascular
ANS: D
Refeeding resulting in too-rapid weight gain can overwhelm the heart, resulting in cardiovascular collapse. Focused assessment is a necessity to ensure the patient’s physiological integrity. The other body systems are not initially involved in refeeding syndrome.
A psychiatric clinical nurse specialist uses cognitive-behavioural therapy for a patient diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. Which statement by the staff nurse supports this type of therapy?
a.“What are your feelings about not eating foods that you prepare?”
b.“You seem to feel much better about yourself when you eat something.”
c.“It must be difficult to talk about private matters to someone you just met.”
d.“Being thin doesn’t seem to solve your problems. You are thin now but still unhappy.”
ANS: D
The correct response is the only strategy that attempts to question the patient’s distorted thinking. As patients begin to eat again, they ideally participate in milieu therapy, in which the cognitive distortions (errors in thinking) that perpetuate the illness are consistently addressed by all members of the interdisciplinary team.
An appropriate intervention for a patient diagnosed with bulimia nervosa who binges and purges is to teach the patient which of the following?
a.To eat a small meal after purging
b.Not to skip meals or restrict food
c.To increase oral intake after 4 p.m. daily.
d.The value of reading journal entries aloud to others
ANS: B
One goal of health teaching is normalization of eating habits. Food restriction and skipping meals lead to rebound bingeing. Teaching the patient to eat a small meal after purging will probably perpetuate the need to induce vomiting. Teaching the patient to eat a large breakfast but no lunch and increase intake after 4 p.m. will lead to late-day bingeing. Journal entries are private.
A nurse provides care for an adolescent patient diagnosed with an eating disorder. Which behaviour by this nurse indicates that additional clinical supervision is needed?
a.The nurse interacts with the patient in a protective fashion.
b.The nurse’s comments to the patient are compassionate and nonjudgemental.
c.The nurse teaches the patient to recognize signs of increasing anxiety and ways to intervene.
d.The nurse refers the patient to a self-help group for individuals with eating disorders.
ANS: A
In the effort to motivate the patient and take advantage of the decision to seek help and be healthier, the nurse must take care not to cross the line toward authoritarianism and assumption of a parental role. Protective behaviours are part of the parent’s role. The helpful nurse uses a problem-solving approach and focuses on the patient’s feelings of shame and low self-esteem. Referring a patient to a self-help group is an appropriate intervention.
A nursing diagnosis for a patient diagnosed with bulimia nervosa is Ineffective coping related to feelings of loneliness as evidenced by overeating to comfort self, followed by self-induced vomiting. The best outcome related to this diagnosis is that within 2 weeks the patient will do which of the following?
a.Appropriately express angry feelings
b.Verbalize two positive things about self
c.Verbalize the importance of eating a balanced diet
d.Identify two alternative methods of coping with lonelines
ANS: D
The outcome of identifying alternative coping strategies is most directly related to the diagnosis of Ineffective coping. Verbalizing positive characteristics of self and verbalizing the importance of eating a balanced diet are outcomes that might be used for other nursing diagnoses. Appropriately expressing angry feelings is not measurable.
hich nursing intervention has the highest priority for a patient diagnosed with bulimia nervosa?
a.Assist the patient to identify triggers to binge eating.
b.Provide corrective consequences for weight loss.
c.Assess for signs of impulsive eating.
d.Explore needs for health teaching.
ANS: A
For most patients with bulimia nervosa, certain situations trigger the urge to binge; purging then follows. Often the triggers are anxiety-producing situations. Identification of triggers makes it possible to break the binge-purge cycle. Because binge eating and purging directly affect physical status, the need to promote physical safety assumes highest priority.
One bed is available on the inpatient eating disorders unit. The patient with which of the following weight decrease should be admitted to this bed?
a.From 70 to 45 kg over a 4-month period. Vital signs are temperature, 35.9° C; pulse, 38 beats/min; blood pressure 60/40 mm Hg
b.From 55 to 40 kg over a 3-month period. Vital signs are temperature, 36° C; pulse, 50 beats/min; blood pressure 70/50 mm Hg
c.From 50 to 32 kg over a 4-month period. Vital signs are temperature 36.5° C; pulse, 60 beats/min; blood pressure 80/66 mm Hg
d.From 40 to 35 kg over a 5-month period. Vital signs are temperature, 36.7° C; pulse, 62 beats/min; blood pressure 74/48 mm Hg
ANS: A
Physical criteria for hospitalization include weight loss less than 85% of ideal weight or rapid decline in weight and food refusal, temperature below 36° C (hypothermia), heart rate less than 40 beats/min, and blood pressure less than 90/60 mm Hg.
