Author Question: The nurse is caring for a postpartum patient. The patient's labor has lasted over 28 hours within ... (Read 58 times)

@Brianna17 · **on:** Jul 22, 2018

The nurse is caring for a postpartum patient. The patient's labor has lasted over 28 hours within the hospital; the patient has not slept and is disoriented to date and time. What is the most appropriate nursing diagnosis?

a. Impaired parenting
b. Insomnia
c. Ineffective coping
d. Sleep deprivation

Question 2

A 23-year-old patient who recently had a head injury from a motor vehicle accident is unconscious. Which of the following physiological adaptations is primarily responsible for the patient's level of consciousness?

a. Medulla oblongata
b. Reticular formation
c. Pituitary gland
d. External stress response

amynguyen1221 · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 22, 2018

Answer to Question 1

D
This patient has been deprived of sleep by staying awake during a 28-hour labor. Disorientation is one potential sign of sleep deprivation. In this scenario, we have a clear cause for the patient's lack of sleep, and it is a one-time episode. Insomnia, on the other hand, is a chronic disorder whereby patients have difficulty falling asleep, awaken frequently, or sleep only for a short time. This scenario does not indicate that this has been a chronic problem for this patient. Although ineffective coping can manifest as a sleep disturbance, we have clear evidence that it was labor that deprived this patient of sleep, not an inability to cope. It could be difficult to care for an infant when sleep deprived; however, this scenario gives no evidence that this mother displays impaired parenting and is not caring adequately for her child or lacks the skills to do so.

Answer to Question 2

B

Feedback
A The medulla oblongata controls vital functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration.
B The reticular formation is primarily responsible for an individual's level of consciousness.
C The pituitary gland supplies hormones that control vital functions. The pituitary gland produces hormones necessary for adaptation to stress.
D The external stress response is not primarily responsible for a person's level of consciousness.