A recently widowed 80-year-old male is dehydrated and is admitted ...

[rmenurse]

A recently widowed 80-year-old male is dehydrated and is admitted to the hospital for intravenous fluid replacement. During the evening shift, the patient becomes acutely confused.
 
  The nurse's best action is to assess the patient for which of the following reversible causes? (Select all that apply.) a. Electrolyte imbalance
  b. Hypoglycemia
  c. Drug effects
  d. Dementia
  e. Cerebral anoxia

Question 2

To best improve the bathing care provided by a student nurse, what should the nurse teacher do?
 
  a. Tell the student how to correctly give baths to patients.
  b. Provide the student with good resources to read on bathing patients.
  c. Ask another student nurse to provide the bathing care on the next shift.
  d. Assist and observe the student in the bathing care of the patient.

[itsakadoozi]

Answer to Question 1

A, B, C, E
Delirium, or acute confusional state, is a potentially reversible cognitive impairment that is often due to a physiological event. Physiological causes of delirium can include electrolyte imbalances, cerebral anoxia, hypoglycemia, medications, drug effects, tumors, subdural hematomas, and cerebrovascular infection, infarction, or hemorrhage. Unlike delirium, dementia is a gradual, progressive, irreversible cerebral dysfunction.

Answer to Question 2

D

Feedback
A Telling the student how to bathe patients correctly is less apt to change the behaviour.
B Providing the student nurse with resources does not ensure that the student will read them and change the behaviour.
C Asking another student nurse to provide bathing does not address caring behaviours with the first student nurse.
D Assisting the student nurse in bathing the patient gives the nurse teacher the opportunity to model caring behaviour. In order for the value of caring to be internalized by the student nurse, there is a critical need for demonstration of caring behaviours and clinical opportunities to practise these behaviours. Caring models are essential to help in the development of a student nurse's capacity to care.

[rmenurse]

Thanks for the timely response, appreciate it

[peter]

Excellent