Ignatavicius Ch 37: Care of Patients with Shock Flashcards
A student is caring for a client who suffered massive blood loss after trauma. How does the student correlate the blood loss with the clients mean arterial pressure (MAP)?
a. It causes vasoconstriction and increased MAP.
b. Lower blood volume lowers MAP.
c. There is no direct correlation to MAP.
d. It raises cardiac output and MAP
b. Lower blood volume lowers MAP.
Lower blood volume will decrease MAP. The other answers are not accurate.
A nurse is caring for a client after surgery. The clients respiratory rate has increased from 12 to 18 breaths/min and the pulse rate increased from 86 to 98 beats/min since they were last assessed 4 hours ago. What action by the nurse is best?
a. Ask if the client needs pain medication.
b. Assess the clients tissue perfusion further.
c. Document the findings in the clients chart.
d. Increase the rate of the clients IV infusion.
b. Assess the clients tissue perfusion further.
Signs of the earliest stage of shock are subtle and may manifest in slight increases in heart rate, respiratory rate, or blood pressure. Even though these readings are not out of the normal range, the nurse should conduct a thorough assessment of the client, focusing on indicators of perfusion. The client may need pain medication, but this is not the priority at this time. Documentation should be done thoroughly but is not the priority either. The nurse should not increase the rate of the IV infusion without an order.
The nurse gets the hand-off report on four clients. Which client should the nurse assess first?
a. Client with a blood pressure change of 128/74 to 110/88 mm Hg
b. Client with oxygen saturation unchanged at 94%
c. Client with a pulse change of 100 to 88 beats/min
d. Client with urine output of 40 mL/hr for the last 2 hours
a. Client with a blood pressure change of 128/74 to 110/88 mm Hg
This client has a falling systolic blood pressure, rising diastolic blood pressure, and narrowing pulse pressure, all of which may be indications of the progressive stage of shock. The nurse should assess this client first. The client with the unchanged oxygen saturation is stable at this point. Although the client with a change in pulse has a slower rate, it is not an indicator of shock since the pulse is still within the normal range; it may indicate the clients pain or anxiety has been relieved, or he or she is sleeping or relaxing. A urine output of 40 mL/hr is only slightly above the normal range, which is 30 mL/hr.
A nurse is caring for a client after surgery who is restless and apprehensive. The unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) reports the vital signs and the nurse sees they are only slightly different from previous readings. What action does the nurse delegate next to the UAP?
a. Assess the client for pain or discomfort.
b. Measure urine output from the catheter.
c. Reposition the client to the unaffected side.
d. Stay with the client and reassure him or her.
b. Measure urine output from the catheter.
Urine output changes are a sensitive early indicator of shock. The nurse should delegate emptying the urinary catheter and measuring output to the UAP as a baseline for hourly urine output measurements. The UAP cannot assess for pain. Repositioning may or may not be effective for decreasing restlessness, but does not take priority over physical assessments. Reassurance is a therapeutic nursing action, but the nurse needs to do more in this situation.
- A client is in shock and the nurse prepares to administer insulin for a blood glucose reading of 208 mg/dL. The spouse asks why the client needs insulin as the client is not a diabetic. What response by the nurse is best?
a. High glucose is common in shock and needs to be treated.
b. Some of the medications we are giving are to raise blood sugar.
c. The IV solution has lots of glucose, which raises blood sugar.
d. The stress of this illness has made your spouse a diabetic.
a. High glucose is common in shock and needs to be treated.
High glucose readings are common in shock, and best outcomes are the result of treating them and maintaining glucose readings in the normal range. Medications and IV solutions may raise blood glucose levels, but this is not the most accurate answer. The stress of the illness has not made the client diabetic.
A nurse caring for a client notes the following assessments: white blood cell count 3800/mm3, blood glucose level 198 mg/dL, and temperature 96.2 F (35.6 C). What action by the nurse takes priority?
a. Document the findings in the clients chart.
b. Give the client warmed blankets for comfort.
c. Notify the health care provider immediately.
d. Prepare to administer insulin per sliding scale.
c. Notify the health care provider immediately.
This client has several indicators of sepsis with systemic inflammatory response. The nurse should notify the health care provider immediately. Documentation needs to be thorough but does not take priority. The client may appreciate warm blankets, but comfort measures do not take priority. The client may or may not need insulin.
A nurse works at a community center for older adults. What self-management measure can the nurse teach the clients to prevent shock?
a. Do not get dehydrated in warm weather.
b. Drink fluids on a regular schedule.
c. Seek attention for any lacerations.
d. Take medications as prescribed.
b. Drink fluids on a regular schedule.
Many members of the LGBTQ community have faced discrimination from health care providers and may be reluctant to seek health care. The nurse should never make assumptions about the needs of members of this population. Rather, respectful questions are appropriate. If approached with sensitivity, the client with any health care need is more likely to answer honestly.
A nurse is calling the on-call physician about a client who had a hysterectomy 2 days ago and has pain that is unrelieved by the prescribed narcotic pain medication. Which statement is part of the SBAR format for communication?
a. A: I would like you to order a different pain medication.
b. B: This client has allergies to morphine and codeine.
c. R: Dr. Smith doesnt like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory meds.
d. S: This client had a vaginal hysterectomy 2 days ago.
b. B: This client has allergies to morphine and codeine.
SBAR is a recommended form of communication, and the acronym stands for Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation. Appropriate background information includes allergies to medications the on-call physician might order. Situation describes what is happening right now that must be communicated; the clients surgery 2 days ago would be considered background. Assessment would include an analysis of the clients problem; asking for a different pain medication is a recommendation. Recommendation is a statement of what is needed or what outcome is desired; this information about the surgeons preference might be better placed in background.
A nurse working on a cardiac unit delegated taking vital signs to an experienced unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP). Four hours later, the nurse notes the clients blood pressure is much higher than previous readings, and the clients mental status has changed. What action by the nurse would most likely have prevented this negative outcome?
a. Determining if the UAP knew how to take blood pressure
b. Double-checking the UAP by taking another blood pressure
c. Providing more appropriate supervision of the UAP
d. Taking the blood pressure instead of delegating the task
c. Providing more appropriate supervision of the UAP
Supervision is one of the five rights of delegation and includes directing, evaluating, and following up on delegated tasks. The nurse should either have asked the UAP about the vital signs or instructed the UAP to report them right away. An experienced UAP should know how to take vital signs and the nurse should not have to assess this at this point. Double-checking the work defeats the purpose of delegation. Vital signs are within the scope of practice for a UAP and are permissible to delegate. The only appropriate answer is that the nurse did not provide adequate instruction to the UAP.
A nurse is talking with a client who is moving to a new state and needs to find a new doctor and hospital there. What advice by the nurse is best?
a. Ask the hospitals there about standard nurse-client ratios.
b. Choose the hospital that has the newest technology.
c. Find a hospital that is accredited by The Joint Commission.
d. Use a facility affiliated with a medical or nursing school.
c. Find a hospital that is accredited by The Joint Commission.
Accreditation by The Joint Commission (TJC) or other accrediting body gives assurance that the facility has a focus on safety. Nurse-client ratios differ by unit type and change over time. New technology doesnt necessarily mean the hospital is safe. Affiliation with a health professions school has several advantages, but safety is most important.
A newly graduated nurse in the hospital states that, since she is so new, she cannot participate in quality improvement (QI) projects. What response by the precepting nurse is best?
a. All staff nurses are required to participate in quality improvement here.
b. Even being new, you can implement activities designed to improve care.
c. Its easy to identify what indicators should be used to measure quality.
d. You should ask to be assigned to the research and quality committee.
b. Even being new, you can implement activities designed to improve care.
The preceptor should try to reassure the nurse that implementing QI measures is not out of line for a newly licensed nurse. Simply stating that all nurses are required to participate does not help the nurse understand how that is possible and is dismissive. Identifying indicators of quality is not an easy, quick process and would not be the best place to suggest a new nurse to start. Asking to be assigned to the QI committee does not give the nurse information about how to implement QI in daily practice.
A nurse is interested in making interdisciplinary work a high priority. Which actions by the nurse best demonstrate this skill? (Select all that apply.)
a. Consults with other disciplines on client care
b. Coordinates discharge planning for home safety
c. Participates in comprehensive client rounding
d. Routinely asks other disciplines about client progress
e. Shows the nursing care plans to other disciplines
a. Consults with other disciplines on client care
b. Coordinates discharge planning for home safety
c. Participates in comprehensive client rounding
d. Routinely asks other disciplines about client progress
Collaborating with the interdisciplinary team involves planning, implementing, and evaluating client care as a team with all other disciplines included. Simply showing other caregivers the nursing care plan is not actively involving them or collaborating with them.
A nurse manager wishes to ensure that the nurses on the unit are practicing at their highest levels of competency. Which areas should the manager assess to determine if the nursing staff demonstrate competency according to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report Health Professions Education: A Bridge to Quality? (Select all that apply.)
a. Collaborating with an interdisciplinary team
b. Implementing evidence-based care
c. Providing family-focused care
d. Routinely using informatics in practice
e. Using quality improvement in client care
a. Collaborating with an interdisciplinary team
b. Implementing evidence-based care
d. Routinely using informatics in practice
e. Using quality improvement in client care
The IOM report lists five broad core competencies that all health care providers should practice. These include collaborating with the interdisciplinary team, implementing evidence-based practice, providing client-focused care, using informatics in client care, and using quality improvement in client care.
The nurse utilizing evidence-based practice (EBP) considers which factors when planning care? (Select all that apply.)
a. Cost-saving measures
b. Nurses expertise
c. Client preferences
d. Research findings
e. Values of the client
b. Nurses expertise
c. Client preferences
d. Research findings
e. Values of the client
EBP consists of utilizing current evidence, the clients values and preferences, and the nurses expertise when planning care. It does not include cost-saving measures.
A nurse manager wants to improve hand-off communication among the staff. What actions by the manager would best help achieve this goal? (Select all that apply.)
a. Attend hand-off rounds to coach and mentor.
b. Conduct audits of staff using a new template.
c. Create a template of topics to include in report.
d. Encourage staff to ask questions during hand-off.
e. Give raises based on compliance with reporting.
a. Attend hand-off rounds to coach and mentor.
b. Conduct audits of staff using a new template.
c. Create a template of topics to include in report.
d. Encourage staff to ask questions during hand-off.
A good tool for standardizing hand-off reports and other critical communication is the SHARE model. SHARE stands for standardize critical information, hardwire within your system, allow opportunities to ask questions, reinforce quality and measurement, and educate and coach. Attending hand-off report gives the manager opportunities to educate and coach. Conducting audits is part of reinforcing quality. Creating a template is hardwiring within the system. Encouraging staff to ask questions and think critically about the information is allowing opportunities to ask questions. The manager may need to tie raises into compliance if the staff is resistive and other measures have failed, but this is not part of the SHARE model.
