A nurse in a provider's office is reinforcing teaching about skin care with a client who has a new diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus.
Which of the following statements by the client indicates an understanding of the teaching?

The correct answer is: a. Displacement.

Choice A Reason: Displacement is a defense mechanism where a person redirects a negative emotion from its original source to a less threatening recipient. In the context of bipolar disorder, a client may displace anger or frustration about their condition or treatment onto the nurse, who is not the source of these feelings. This redirection can occur because the client might feel powerless or uncomfortable expressing these emotions towards their healthcare provider, who is the authority figure prescribing medication changes.

Choice B Reason: Splitting is often associated with borderline personality disorder rather than bipolar disorder. It involves viewing things in extremes—either all good or all bad—with no middle ground. While individuals with bipolar disorder can exhibit black-and-white thinking, especially during mood episodes, the behavior described does not indicate splitting, as it does not involve idealizing or devaluing the nurse or provider.

Choice C Reason: Sublimation is a mature defense mechanism where socially unacceptable impulses or idealizations are unconsciously transformed into socially acceptable actions or behavior, often resulting in a long-term conversion of the initial impulse. For example, a person with aggressive tendencies might take up a sport that channels aggression in a socially acceptable way. The scenario provided does not suggest that the client is channeling their frustrations into a constructive activity.

Choice D Reason: Conversion involves the transfer of mental stress into physical symptoms. This defense mechanism is characteristic of conversion disorder, where psychological stress manifests as neurological symptoms like blindness, paralysis, or other sensory or motor symptoms without a medical cause. The client yelling at the nurse does not reflect a conversion of emotional distress into physical symptoms.

The correct answer is: B. Determine the acuity and number of casualties arriving at the facility.

Choice A rationale: Assisting in discharging stable clients to home is important but not the primary focus during the immediate response to a mass casualty event.

Choice B rationale: Determining the acuity and number of casualties arriving at the facility is crucial in a mass casualty event. This involves assessing the severity of injuries and prioritizing care based on urgency, ensuring that the most critical patients receive immediate attention.

Choice C rationale: Delegating tasks to emergency health care specialists is typically the responsibility of team leaders or incident command staff, not the medical-surgical unit nurses.

Choice D rationale: Providing informational updates to members of the media is generally managed by hospital administration or public relations staff, not by medical-surgical nurses.