The client also has the nursing diagnosis Decreased Cardiac Output related to decreased plasma volume. Which
assessment finding supports this nursing diagnosis?
1. Flattened neck veins when the client is in the supine position
2. Full and bounding pedal and post-tibial pulses
3. Pitting edema located in the feet, ankles, and calves
4. Shallow respirations with crackles on auscultation
Normally, neck veins are distended when the client is in the supine position. These veins flatten as the client moves to a
sitting position. The other three responses are characteristic of the nursing diagnosis of Excess Fluid Volume. Focus:
Prioritization
The nurse is caring for a patient who is to have a cleansing enema. Which assessment finding by the nurse indicates a
need to contact the prescriber and question the order?
A. The patient is recovering from a traumatic brain injury. Correct
B. The patient has not had a bowel movement for 3 days.
C. The patient is to have a lower GI series the following morning.
D. The patient had an upper GI series performed the previous day.
The nurse is caring for an elderly patient whose dementia has become worse over the last 24 hours. The nurse suspects
that the patient may have developed a urinary tract infection and obtains a urine sample. Which assessment findings
prompt the nurse to contact the provider to obtain an order for urine culture and sensitivity testing? ( Select all that
apply.)
A. Urinary dipstick testing is positive for nitrates. Correct
B. The urine appears cloudy with a foul odor. Correct
C. The urine is concentrated and dark amber in color.
D. The urine smells faintly like sweet fruit.
E. The patient is urinating more frequently than usual. Correct
F. The patient is normally continent but has been incontinent twice. Correct
1. A patient with an indwelling catheter reports a need to void. What is the priority intervention for the nurse to
perform?
a. Check to see if the catheter is patent.
b. Reassure the patient that it is not possible to void while catheterized.
c. Catheterize the patient again with a larger gauge catheter.
d. Notify the primary care provider.
Answer: a
Checking the position and patency of the catheter first will determine whether the problem is mechanical or
physiologic. At times, the end of the catheter may become lodged up against the side of the bladder, preventing the flow
of urine into the tubing. Telling the patient that is impossible to void while catheterized is erroneous. Catheterizing the
patient with a larger-gauge catheter is unnecessary at this point, as is contacting the primary care provider.
2. Which nursing instruction is correct when a urine specimen is collected for culture and sensitivity testing from a
patient without a urinary catheter?
a. Tell the patient to void and pour the urine into a labeled specimen container.
b. Ask the patient to void first into the toilet, stop midstream, and finish voiding into the sterile specimen container.
c. Instruct the patient to discard the first void and collect the next void for the specimen.