Author Question: The emergency department nurses are noting an unusually high number of patients coming in with ... (Read 74 times)

wrbasek0 · **on:** Jun 25, 2018

The emergency department nurses are noting an unusually high number of patients coming in with complaints of nausea, vomiting, and severe headache. What should be done with this information?

1. No further action is needed at this time.
2. Contact the Infection Control Department and Laboratory Medicine.
3. Close the emergency department.
4. Call for more staffing to handle all the patients.

Question 2

Disaster nursing competencies include risk reduction, disease prevention, and health promotion; policy development and planning; community care; and ethical and legal practice. The nursing process is not considered a core competency for disaster nursing.

1. a natural disaster
2. a multiple-casualty incident
3. a mass-casualty incident
4. an accidental disaster

recede · **Reply #1 on:** Jun 25, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Correct Answer: 2

Healthcare providers must be alert when there is a change in the trend of symptoms within patients. The infection control nurse should be contacted. Laboratory medicine will run tests on specimens that would otherwise be discarded. The public health department is also contacted with this information. Closing the emergency department would not be necessary. Staffing may need to be adjusted based on the number or acuity of patients, not just a trend in symptoms.

Answer to Question 2

Correct Answer: 3

A mass-casualty incident occurs quickly and suddenly and overwhelms local resources with many seriously ill or injured victims needing care. Natural disasters are caused by acts of nature or emerging diseases. A multiple-casualty event does not exceed the capacity of local resources to provide needed medical care. An accidental disaster is human-generated.