FUNDAMENTAL NURSING BULLETS- 5

1. 1.        Before signing an informed consent form, the patient should know whether other treatment options are available and should understand what will occur during the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases; the risks involved; and the possible complications. The patient should also have a general idea of the time required from surgery to recovery. In addition, he should have an opportunity to ask questions.
   
   
   2.        A patient must sign a separate informed consent form for each procedure.
   
   
   3.        During percussion, the nurse uses quick, sharp tapping of the fingers or hands against body surfaces to produce sounds. This procedure is done to determine the size, shape, position, and density of underlying organs and tissues; elicit tenderness; or assess reflexes.
   
   
   4.        Ballottement is a form of light palpation involving gentle, repetitive bouncing of tissues against the hand and feeling their rebound.
   
   
   5.        A foot cradle keeps bed linen off the patient’s feet to prevent skin irritation and breakdown, especially in a patient who has peripheral vascular disease or neuropathy.
   
   
   6.        Gastric lavage is flushing of the stomach and removal of ingested substances through a nasogastric tube. It’s used to treat poisoning or drug overdose.
   
   
   7.        During the evaluation step of the nursing process, the nurse assesses the patient’s response to therapy.
   
   
   8.        Bruits commonly indicate life- or limb-threatening vascular disease.
   
   
   9.        O.U. means each eye. O.D. is the right eye, and O.S. is the left eye.
   
   
   10.      To remove a patient’s artificial eye, the nurse depresses the lower lid.
   
   
   11.      The nurse should use a warm saline solution to clean an artificial eye.
   
   
   12.      A thready pulse is very fine and scarcely perceptible.
   
   
   13.      Axillary temperature is usually 1° F  lower than oral temperature.
   
   
   14.      After suctioning a tracheostomy tube, the nurse must document the color, amount, consistency, and odor of secretions.
   
   
   15.      On a drug prescription, the abbreviation p.c. means that the drug should be administered after meals.
   
   
   16.      After bladder irrigation, the nurse should document the amount, color, and clarity of the urine and the presence of clots or sediment.
   
   
   17.      After bladder irrigation, the nurse should document the amount, color, and clarity of the urine and the presence of clots or sediment.
   
   
   18.      Gauge is the inside diameter of a needle: the smaller the gauge, the larger the diameter.
   19.      An adult normally has 32 permanent teeth.
   20.      . A patient indicates that he’s coming to terms with having a chronic disease when he says, “I’m never going to get any better.”
   21.       In an infant, the normal hemoglobin value is 12 g/dl.
   22.      The nitrogen balance estimates the difference between the intake and use of protein.
   23.      Most of the absorption of water occurs in the large intestine.
   24.      Most nutrients are absorbed in the small intestine.
   25.      When assessing a patient’s eating habits, the nurse should ask, “What have you eaten in the last 24 hours?”
   26.      A vegan diet should include an abundant supply of fiber.
   27.       A hypotonic enema softens the feces, distends the colon, and stimulates peristalsis.
   28.      First-morning urine provides the best sample to measure glucose, ketone, pH, and specific gravity values.
   29.      To induce sleep, the first step is to minimize environmental stimuli.
   30.      Before moving a patient, the nurse should assess the patient’s physical abilities and ability to understand instructions as well as the amount of strength required to move the patient.
   31.       To avoid shearing force injury, a patient who is completely immobile is lifted on a sheet.
   32.       To insert a catheter from the nose through the trachea for suction, the nurse should ask the patient to swallow.
   33.       Vitamin C is needed for collagen production.
   34.      Only the patient can describe his pain accurately.
   35.      Cutaneous stimulation creates the release of endorphins that block the transmission of pain stimuli.
   36.       Patient-controlled analgesia is a safe method to relieve acute pain caused by surgical incision, traumatic injury, labor and delivery, or cancer.
   37.      The patient who believes in a scientific, or biomedical, approach to health is likely to expect a drug, treatment, or surgery to cure illness.
   38.       Chronic illnesses occur in very young as well as middle-aged and very old people.
   39.      School health programs provide cost-effective health care for low-income families and those who have no health insurance.
   40.       Abandonment is premature termination of treatment without the patient’s permission and without appropriate relief of symptoms.
   41.       Milk and milk products, poultry, grains, and fish are good sources of phosphate.
   42.      The best way to prevent falls at night in an oriented, but restless, elderly patient is to raise the side rails.
   43.       Falls in the elderly are likely to be caused by poor vision.
   44.       Barriers to communication include language deficits, sensory deficits, cognitive impairments, structural deficits, and paralysis.
   45.       The three elements that are necessary for a fire are heat, oxygen, and combustible material.
   46.      Sebaceous glands lubricate the skin.
   47.       To check for petechiae in a dark-skinned patient, the nurse should assess the oral mucosa.
   48.      To put on a sterile glove, the nurse should pick up the first glove at the folded border and adjust the fingers when both gloves are on.
   49.        Endorphins are morphine-like substances that produce a feeling of well-being.
   50.      Pain tolerance is the maximum amount and duration of pain that an individual is willing to endure.