I have the answer in the back of the book....try to guess the correct answer and I'll get back to give the correct answer, and to see what you guys are coming up with. I am trying to understand the rationale for the book's answer, and would like to see how you guys interpret this:
From Postoperative Care chapter in Med-Surg Nursing book:
In preparation for discharge after surgery, the nurse should advise the patient regarding:
a. a time frame for when various physical activities can be resumed
b. the rationale for abstinence from sexual intercourse for 4 to 6 weeks
c. the need to call hospital clinical unit to report any abnormal signs or symptoms
d. the necessity of a referral to nutritional center for management of dietary restrictions.
I am happy that Katie and I could be of some help. Students often make the mistake of reading too much into a test question and/or assuming things that aren't really there. In this case, the "c" answer did NOT say, "Teach the patient about the possible complications, including how to manage and report them appropriately." Yet many students would read the "c" answer and assume that it included all of that information, when in fact, it does not.
Other students might assume that the nutrition consult was correct because some surgical patients need nutritional consults.
The trick is to read the question carefully and consider only what is on the paper, not additional information that you might imagine to be there. Don't try to play "mind games" with the person who wrote the test. Test writers are usually much more straight-forward than students assume them to be. They have to be in order to be able to justify the test item as legitimate. Students usually trip themselves up by embellishing the question and/or the possible answers beyond what the test item writer actually wrote.
Just to add, in NCLEX, there will really only be one correct answer. If C had been worded to call provider, and A had been an option, it would be unlikely to be a question.
Remember some NCLEX review books are going to have cruddy questions. The actual test has been reviewed by many experts to avoid there being two right answers. (Even though many test takers report that they felt questions were vague or poorly written...)
NCLEX....I feel fortunate that my patho/pharm/med-surg professor is actually one of the question writers for NCLEX exams. He has software that he uses that actually can state whether or not the test question was well written (NCLEX-style). His tests have all been very good examples of questions we will likely see...and the best news for me, is so far I am doing great on his tests, in all classes (I usually miss only one per test!)
I picked A because I usually teach what complications to report to the MD and what complications to report to the ER for. I do give them our number if they have questions, but not to report symptoms to. :)
B just doesn't make sense, seeing that we don't know what kind of surgery the Pt had...wonder if it was just having a wart removed...
C hmmm....call the clinic unit...no, he should call his MD
D, Again...who says he needs that and if it were that important, I assume the pt would get that before he left the hospital, meaning both teaching and the appointment.
IIn preparation for discharge after surgery, the nurse should advise the patient regarding:
a. a time frame for when various physical activities can be resumed
b. the rationale for abstinence from sexual intercourse for 4 to 6 weeks
c. the need to call hospital clinical unit to report any abnormal signs or symptoms
d. the necessity of a referral to nutritional center for management of dietary restrictions.
I'm guessing A. We always have to put a time frame down. I don't think in preparation for surgery you would give the patient a rationale for abstinence from sex, plus you aren't told what type of surgery was done. Why would the patient call the hospital clinical unit to report s/s, they would report to their doctor or the ER if not available. Dietary restrictions don't necessarily have to come from a nutritional center. Dietician yes. I'm not looking ahead. Just rationalizing. Lets see if I was correct?
I have to say thank you to the wonderful and intelligent members of this site. I would have chosen C at first also, but only because I read right past "call the unit to report...." and I only saw abnormal signs and symptoms. I completely agree with the rationale for A as the correct answer. I am going to be taking NCLEX soon and I think I learned here that I better read EVERY word of every choice.
llg, PhD, RN
13,469 Posts
I am happy that Katie and I could be of some help. Students often make the mistake of reading too much into a test question and/or assuming things that aren't really there. In this case, the "c" answer did NOT say, "Teach the patient about the possible complications, including how to manage and report them appropriately." Yet many students would read the "c" answer and assume that it included all of that information, when in fact, it does not.
Other students might assume that the nutrition consult was correct because some surgical patients need nutritional consults.
The trick is to read the question carefully and consider only what is on the paper, not additional information that you might imagine to be there. Don't try to play "mind games" with the person who wrote the test. Test writers are usually much more straight-forward than students assume them to be. They have to be in order to be able to justify the test item as legitimate. Students usually trip themselves up by embellishing the question and/or the possible answers beyond what the test item writer actually wrote.
Good luck,
llg