How Smart Are You?

In general members will be more inclined to assit you with assignments if you demonstrate having thought about it yourself first. What do you think about the questions and possible responses?

Good point, just didn't want to bias answers any. Here it is again with some reasoning. I wasn't sure what the protocol was with that sort of thing. But I can see what you mean.

Wondering if you could give me your perspective on a couple of questions from a take-home assignment I'm struggling with.

#1

Clients experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder work with nurses in the medical center. An approach that is appropriate and should be incorporated into the plan of care is:

A. Suppression of anxiety-producing memories

NO, not dealing with reality is not how you handle the situation. You should encourage them to recognize the event and respond to it in a more "normal" fashion - at least that's what Ackley says.

B. Reinforcement that the PTSD is short term

NO, it's not short term, it could come back again and again for years.

C. Promotion of relaxation strategies

MAYBE. This is the one that I am leaning towards the most because it actually helps the issue at hand.

D. Focus on physical needs

This is the only other one besides C that I was considering. The main idea being that I know you should not ignore physical needs, but I don't think I would go so far as to say you should "focus" on them. However, I don't have any resources that have pointed out anything about focusing on the physical need part and I was just wondering if I was missing something here just due to lack of resources.

#2

Which of the following nursing actions will have the most therapeutic impact on the self-esteem of a client with HIV?

A. Dealing with the client's needs in a non-judgmental manner

Important, but is is just a negative, and how can a lack of something on the nurse's part be theraputic? Though, feeling like you are being judged with have a large negative effect on someone's self-esteem.

B. Being aware of how the client will react based on the client's culture

NO. Doesn't have to do directly enough with self-esteem.

C. Providing care that will meet the client's emotional and physical needs

YES. I think that theraputic refers to an active engagement as opposed to just refraining from something. This one also addresses both the emotional and physical needs, and therefore should increase self-esteem.

D. Being careful to avoid nonverbal communication that could be misinterpreted

This is important, but will it have the most theraputic impact. Hey word, theraputic?

#3

It appears to the nurse the client is experiencing a crisis. The nurse plans to:

A. allow the client to work through independent problem solving

NO.

B. Complete an in-depth evaluation of stressors and resonses

NO.

C. Focus on immediate stress reduction

YES. When they are in a crisis, it is important to focus on the immediate problem. And my book actually said "problem" but I'm just wondering if that is differnt from "stress" and if I'm missing something there.

D. Recomment ongoing therapy

MAYBE. This was the only other one I was considering because a crisis leaves a lasting impact on a person, however, I don't think you could say that in every situatino you should recommend ongoing therapy.

#4

The husband of a client with termin cancer has expressed a high degree of stress over his role as caregiver. When asked whether he has suicidal or homicidal thoughts he answerd, "Sometimes." Which of the following nursing statements is most therapeutic initially?

A. What is the hardest part about your wife's impending death?

NO. It focuses too much on the death and not the stress of taking care of her.

B. Can you describe your plan for killing yourself and your wife?

NO. This just seems too blunt, and it assumes that he is thinking both suicidal thoughts AND homocidal thoughts, when the questions said "or" not "and". Though, it does say, that for safetly's sake, you do need to ask this questions at some point, I just don't think it is initially.

C. What can I do to make caring for your wife less stressful?

MAYBE. This seems like the most helpful, but maybe not the most theraputic.

D. Can you tell me how caring for your wife has affected you personally?

YES. I put this one because I think it is slightly more theraputic than C because it is an open ended question that allows him to respond however. But I also think it's a bit patronizing. I mean, what's he going to say - "I just told you, I'm thinking about killing myself, that's how it's affected me personally!"

That's it. Thanks for the help. I'd like to know your reasoning if possible.