A patient asks, "What are neurotransmitters? My doctor said mine are imbalanced." Select the nurse’s best response.
How do you feel about having imbalanced neurotransmitters?
Neurotransmitters are chemicals that help your brain communicate; an imbalance can affect mood and behavior
Let’s focus on your medication to fix the imbalance
Your doctor can explain that better than I can
The Correct Answer is B
Choice A reason: Asking about feelings explores emotions but does not address the patient’s question about neurotransmitters. Educational queries require informative responses to enhance understanding, not redirection to feelings, making this choice non-therapeutic and incorrect for the patient’s need.
Choice B reason: Explaining neurotransmitters as brain communication chemicals directly addresses the patient’s question. It provides clear, accurate information about their role in mood and behavior, aligning with patient education principles in psychiatric nursing, making this the correct, informative response.
Choice C reason: Focusing on medication avoids explaining neurotransmitters, failing to address the patient’s educational need. It shifts focus prematurely to treatment, which may confuse the patient, making this response less effective and incorrect for providing the requested information.
Choice D reason: Deferring to the doctor dismisses the nurse’s role in patient education, undermining trust. Nurses are equipped to explain basic concepts like neurotransmitters, and this response fails to meet the patient’s need for understanding, making it non-therapeutic and incorrect.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice A reason: Assault involves a threat of harm without physical contact. Forcing medication involves actual physical intervention, not just a threat, making assault incorrect. Battery better describes the unauthorized physical act in this scenario, as it involves direct contact.
Choice B reason: Battery is the unauthorized physical contact or use of force on a patient, such as forcibly administering medication against their objection. This violates patient autonomy and ethical standards, aligning with the scenario, making this the correct term for the nurse’s action.
Choice C reason: Negligence involves failing to meet a standard of care, causing harm, such as ignoring a patient’s needs. Forcing medication is an active violation, not a failure to act, making negligence incorrect for this intentional physical intervention.
Choice D reason: Malpractice involves professional negligence causing harm, typically through substandard care. Forcing medication is a deliberate act of battery, not a failure in skill or judgment, making malpractice less precise than battery for this scenario.
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice A reason: Alienation from family corresponds to Maslow’s love and belonging needs, a third-level priority. While important for mental health, it is less urgent than physiological needs like nutrition and hygiene, which are foundational for survival and stability, making this choice lower priority in care planning.
Choice B reason: Refusing to eat or bathe addresses Maslow’s physiological needs, the highest priority in the hierarchy. Nutrition and hygiene are essential for survival and physical health, critical in mental illness to stabilize the patient’s condition and support further treatment, making this the correct choice.
Choice C reason: Reluctance to participate in group therapy relates to esteem or belonging needs, lower in Maslow’s hierarchy. While social engagement aids mental health, it is not as urgent as physiological needs, which underpin survival and basic functioning, making this choice a lower priority in care planning.
Choice D reason: Anxiety about social situations aligns with safety or belonging needs, secondary to physiological requirements. While anxiety impacts mental health, it is less critical than ensuring basic survival needs like food and hygiene, which take precedence in Maslow’s framework, making this choice incorrect.
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