Nursing Care Of Patients Experiencing Trauma And
Shock – Questions & Answers
A patient brought to the emergency department with injuries sustained in
a motor vehicle crash. What should the nurse consider as the cause of this
patient's injuries?
1. trauma
2. not wearing a seat restraint
3. a drunk driver
4. not paying attention while driving Correct Ans - 1. trauma
Trauma is defined as injury to human tissues and organs resulting from the
transfer of energy from the environment. Trauma encompasses a variety of
injuries, including those from motor vehicle crashes. There is insufficient
information to determine whether the patient was wearing a seat restraint,
the patient was not paying attention while driving, or the accident was
caused by a drunk driver.
The spouse of a patient admitted with a gunshot wound asks the nurse
when her husband will be discharged so that they can resume their life
together. How should the nurse respones?
1. "As soon as the wound heals, your husband can return to work."
2. "Probably never"
3. "I would say in a few weeks"
4. "Right now there is no way of knowing how soon your husband can
return to his previous life" Correct Ans - 4. "Right now there is no
way of knowing how soon your husband can return to his previous life"
,Nurses provide a vital link in both the physical and psychosocial care to the
injured patient and family. In caring for the patient who has experienced
trauma, nurses must consider not only the initial physical injury, but also
its long-term consequences, including rehabilitation. Trauma may alter the
patient's previous way of life, potentially affecting independence, mobility,
cognitive thinking, and appearance. The nurse should respond that there is
no way of knowing how soon the patient can return to his previous life. The
nurse should not put a time limit of a few weeks on the patient's recovery
from trauma or tell the spouse that the patient will probably never return
to his previous life. The nurse has no way of knowing the extent of the
damage caused by the gunshot wound and cannot predict when the patient
can return to work.
An older patient is admitted after falling on the steps at home. Which
components of trauma should the nurse consider when planning care for
this patient?(Select all that apply)
1. intention
2. source
3. host
4. environment
5. transmission Correct Ans - Correct answer: 1, 3, 4,
The host is the person or group at risk of injury. Multiple factors influence
the host's potential for injury: age, sex, race, economic status, preexisting
illnesses, and use of substances such as street drugs and alcohol. The
environment in which the trauma occurred needs to be taken into
consideration. As the patient fell on the steps at home, the event was most
,likely unintentional. Source and transmission are not components of a
traumatic event.
A patient comes into the emergency department with leg pain after falling
on ice. For which classification of injuries should the nurse expect to plan
care for this patient?
1. Class 3 minor
2. Class 2 minor
3. Class 1 penetrating
4. Class 3 penetrating Correct Ans - 1. Class 3 minor
Trauma patients are classified as Class 1, 2, or 3 based on factors including
mechanism of injury, vehicle speed, height of falls, and location of
penetrating injuries. Class 3 trauma is the least severe. An example would
be a same-level fall without loss of consciousness or significant injury.
Class 1 trauma involves life-threatening injuries likely to require medical
specialists or immediate surgical intervention. Minor trauma causes injury
to a single part or system of the body and is usually treated in a physician's
office or in the hospital emergency department. A single bone fracture,
small second-degree burns, or a laceration requiring sutures are examples
of minor trauma. Penetrating trauma occurs when a foreign object enters
the body, causing damage to body structures.
A patient is brought to the emergency department with injuries sustained
when a wall collapsed in the home. The nurse recognizes that this patient's
injuries were most likely caused by which mechanism of injury?
1. decelateration
2. crushing
, 3. shearing
4. blast Correct Ans - 2. crushing
A crushing injury occurs from a high force that leads to tissue destruction.
The collapsing wall most likely caused crushing injuries. Shearing occurs
when structures slip across each other. Deceleration is the decrease in
speed of a moving object. Blast injuries result from the temperature and
velocity of air movement and the force of projectiles from the explosion.
A patient was admitted with a head injury caused by rapid acceleration and
deceleration. How should the nurse expect this patient's injuries to be
classified?
1. minor
2. blast
3. blunt
4. shearing Correct Ans - 3. blunt
Blunt trauma occurs when there is no communication between the
damaged tissues and the outside environment. It is caused by various
forces including deceleration, acceleration, shearing, compression, and
crushing. Shearing occurs when structures slip across each other. Blast
injuries result from the temperature and velocity of air movement and the
force of projectiles from the explosion. Minor trauma causes injury to a
single part or system of the body and is usually treated in a physician's
office or in the hospital emergency department.
Shock – Questions & Answers
A patient brought to the emergency department with injuries sustained in
a motor vehicle crash. What should the nurse consider as the cause of this
patient's injuries?
1. trauma
2. not wearing a seat restraint
3. a drunk driver
4. not paying attention while driving Correct Ans - 1. trauma
Trauma is defined as injury to human tissues and organs resulting from the
transfer of energy from the environment. Trauma encompasses a variety of
injuries, including those from motor vehicle crashes. There is insufficient
information to determine whether the patient was wearing a seat restraint,
the patient was not paying attention while driving, or the accident was
caused by a drunk driver.
The spouse of a patient admitted with a gunshot wound asks the nurse
when her husband will be discharged so that they can resume their life
together. How should the nurse respones?
1. "As soon as the wound heals, your husband can return to work."
2. "Probably never"
3. "I would say in a few weeks"
4. "Right now there is no way of knowing how soon your husband can
return to his previous life" Correct Ans - 4. "Right now there is no
way of knowing how soon your husband can return to his previous life"
,Nurses provide a vital link in both the physical and psychosocial care to the
injured patient and family. In caring for the patient who has experienced
trauma, nurses must consider not only the initial physical injury, but also
its long-term consequences, including rehabilitation. Trauma may alter the
patient's previous way of life, potentially affecting independence, mobility,
cognitive thinking, and appearance. The nurse should respond that there is
no way of knowing how soon the patient can return to his previous life. The
nurse should not put a time limit of a few weeks on the patient's recovery
from trauma or tell the spouse that the patient will probably never return
to his previous life. The nurse has no way of knowing the extent of the
damage caused by the gunshot wound and cannot predict when the patient
can return to work.
An older patient is admitted after falling on the steps at home. Which
components of trauma should the nurse consider when planning care for
this patient?(Select all that apply)
1. intention
2. source
3. host
4. environment
5. transmission Correct Ans - Correct answer: 1, 3, 4,
The host is the person or group at risk of injury. Multiple factors influence
the host's potential for injury: age, sex, race, economic status, preexisting
illnesses, and use of substances such as street drugs and alcohol. The
environment in which the trauma occurred needs to be taken into
consideration. As the patient fell on the steps at home, the event was most
,likely unintentional. Source and transmission are not components of a
traumatic event.
A patient comes into the emergency department with leg pain after falling
on ice. For which classification of injuries should the nurse expect to plan
care for this patient?
1. Class 3 minor
2. Class 2 minor
3. Class 1 penetrating
4. Class 3 penetrating Correct Ans - 1. Class 3 minor
Trauma patients are classified as Class 1, 2, or 3 based on factors including
mechanism of injury, vehicle speed, height of falls, and location of
penetrating injuries. Class 3 trauma is the least severe. An example would
be a same-level fall without loss of consciousness or significant injury.
Class 1 trauma involves life-threatening injuries likely to require medical
specialists or immediate surgical intervention. Minor trauma causes injury
to a single part or system of the body and is usually treated in a physician's
office or in the hospital emergency department. A single bone fracture,
small second-degree burns, or a laceration requiring sutures are examples
of minor trauma. Penetrating trauma occurs when a foreign object enters
the body, causing damage to body structures.
A patient is brought to the emergency department with injuries sustained
when a wall collapsed in the home. The nurse recognizes that this patient's
injuries were most likely caused by which mechanism of injury?
1. decelateration
2. crushing
, 3. shearing
4. blast Correct Ans - 2. crushing
A crushing injury occurs from a high force that leads to tissue destruction.
The collapsing wall most likely caused crushing injuries. Shearing occurs
when structures slip across each other. Deceleration is the decrease in
speed of a moving object. Blast injuries result from the temperature and
velocity of air movement and the force of projectiles from the explosion.
A patient was admitted with a head injury caused by rapid acceleration and
deceleration. How should the nurse expect this patient's injuries to be
classified?
1. minor
2. blast
3. blunt
4. shearing Correct Ans - 3. blunt
Blunt trauma occurs when there is no communication between the
damaged tissues and the outside environment. It is caused by various
forces including deceleration, acceleration, shearing, compression, and
crushing. Shearing occurs when structures slip across each other. Blast
injuries result from the temperature and velocity of air movement and the
force of projectiles from the explosion. Minor trauma causes injury to a
single part or system of the body and is usually treated in a physician's
office or in the hospital emergency department.
