Author Question: The unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) says to the nurse, That patient with amnesia looks fine, ... (Read 57 times)

ENagel · **on:** Jul 19, 2018

The unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) says to the nurse, That patient with amnesia looks fine, but when I talk to her, she seems vague. What should I be doing for her? Select the nurse's best reply.

a. Spend as much time with her as you can and ask questions about her life.
b. Use short, simple sentences and keep the environment calm and protective.
c. Provide more information about her past to reduce the mysteries that are causing anxiety.
d. Structure her time with activities to keep her busy, stimulated, and regaining concentration.

Question 2

The nurse who is counseling a patient with dissociative identity disorder should understand that the assessment of highest priority is:

a. risk for self-harm.
b. cognitive function.
c. memory impairment.
d. condition of self-esteem.

ecox1012 · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 19, 2018

Answer to Question 1

ANS: B
Disruptions in ability to perform activities of daily living, confusion, and anxiety are often apparent in patients with amnesia. Offering simple directions to promote activities of daily living and reduce confusion helps increase feelings of safety and security. A calm, secure, predictable, protective environment is also helpful when a person is dealing with a great deal of uncertainty. Recollection of memories should proceed at its own pace, and the patient should only gradually be given information about her past. Asking questions that require recall that the patient does not possess will only add frustration. Quiet, undemanding activities should be provided as the patient tolerates them and should be balanced with rest periods; the patient's time should not be loaded with demanding or stimulating activities.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: A
Assessments that relate to patient safety take priority. Patients with dissociative disorders may be at risk for suicide or self-mutilation, so the nurse must be alert for indicators of risk for self-injury. The other options are important assessments but rank below safety. Treatment motivation, while an important consideration, is not necessarily a part of the nursing assessment.