A soldier has been back from Iraq for two weeks. He is being seen in the outpatient mental health clinic due to complaints of inability to sleep, nightmares, and flashbacks. The nurse would expect the client to be diagnosed with which of the following?

A. Wear sterile gloves. Sterile gloves are typically required for invasive procedures, not general care after chemotherapy. The key concern here is exposure to chemotherapy agents in bodily fluids.

B. Place incontinence pads in the regular trash container. Incontinence pads and other items contaminated with bodily fluids should be disposed of in a hazardous waste container, not regular trash, to prevent exposure to chemotherapy agents.

C. Wear personal protective equipment when handling blood, body fluids, and feces. Chemotherapy agents can be excreted in bodily fluids, so wearing PPE is essential to protect the healthcare worker from exposure.

D. Provide a urinal or bedpan to decrease the likelihood of soiling linens. While providing a urinal or bedpan may be practical, it does not address the key concern of handling potentially contaminated bodily fluids safely.

A. Generalized anxiety disorder: Generalized anxiety disorder involves persistent and excessive worry, but it does not typically present with the specific symptoms of nightmares and flashbacks related to trauma.

B. Posttraumatic stress disorder: PTSD is characterized by symptoms such as nightmares, flashbacks, and difficulty sleeping, especially following exposure to traumatic events. This fits the soldier’s presentation.

C. Obsessive-compulsive disorder: OCD involves recurrent, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and/or repetitive behaviors (compulsions). The symptoms described do not align with OCD but rather with trauma-related symptoms.

D. Social phobia: Social phobia involves intense fear of social situations, not the trauma-related symptoms described. It is less relevant to the soldier’s experience of nightmares and flashbacks.