The patient complains of abdominal pain. Before palpating the abdomen, which action should the nurse perform?

Don sterile gloves.

Elevate the patient’s head.

Percuss all four quandrants.

Auscultate the bowel sounds.

Answer and Explanation

The Correct Answer is D

Choice A reason: Donning sterile gloves is unnecessary for abdominal assessment, as it requires clean gloves to prevent infection. Sterile gloves are used for invasive procedures, not palpation or auscultation. This action is irrelevant to preparing for palpation and wastes resources, per infection control and assessment protocols.

Choice B reason: Elevating the patient’s head may relax abdominal muscles but is not required before palpation. Auscultation precedes palpation to avoid altering bowel sounds by pressure. Elevating the head does not address the need for accurate bowel sound assessment, making it less critical, per abdominal examination sequence.

Choice C reason: Percussing all four quadrants follows auscultation and inspection, not precedes palpation. Percussion assesses organ size or fluid but may disrupt bowel sounds if done before auscultation. Auscultation is prioritized to capture unaltered sounds, ensuring a systematic abdominal assessment, per clinical examination guidelines.

Choice D reason: Auscultating bowel sounds before palpation is essential, as palpation may alter peristalsis, leading to inaccurate findings. Listening for hypoactive or hyperactive sounds identifies abnormalities like obstruction, guiding further assessment. This sequence preserves diagnostic accuracy, aligning with systematic abdominal examination protocols.

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Correct Answer is C

Explanation

Choice A reason: The Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) focuses on competencies like patient safety and quality improvement, not moral standards. It guides nursing education to enhance clinical skills and patient outcomes, addressing evidence-based practice and teamwork. Moral standards, involving ethical decision-making and professional conduct, are governed by the ANA Code of Ethics, not QSEN.

Choice B reason: The American Nurses Association Standards of Professional Performance outline behaviors like leadership and collaboration but focus on professional competence, not moral standards. These standards guide performance expectations, such as resource utilization and communication, rather than ethical principles like beneficence or autonomy, which are central to the ANA Code of Ethics for moral guidance.

Choice C reason: The American Nurses Association Code of Ethics provides moral standards for nursing, emphasizing principles like beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice. It guides ethical decision-making in patient care, addressing dilemmas like informed consent and confidentiality. This code ensures nurses uphold moral integrity in professional behavior, making it the correct guide for ethical standards.

Choice D reason: The American Nurses Association Standards of Practice define the nursing process (assessment, diagnosis, planning, etc.) but focus on clinical practice standards, not moral guidelines. These standards ensure competent care delivery but do not address ethical principles like patient autonomy or ethical dilemmas, which are covered by the ANA Code of Ethics.

A. Encourage the client to perform incentive spirometry 2 to 3 times every 1 to 2 hours, if possible. B. Instruct the client to inhale slowly and as deeply as possible through the mouthpiece, without using the nose. C. Instruct the client to inhale normally and then place the lips securely around the mouthpiece. D. When the client cannot inhale anymore, the client should hold his breath and count to 10.

Correct Answer is B

Explanation

Choice A reason: Performing incentive spirometry 2 to 3 times every 1 to 2 hours is insufficient. Guidelines recommend 5-10 breaths per session, hourly if possible, to maximize lung expansion and prevent atelectasis. This frequency is too low to effectively improve ventilation, per postoperative pulmonary care protocols.

Choice B reason: Instructing the client to inhale slowly and deeply through the mouthpiece, without using the nose, ensures effective lung expansion. Slow inhalation raises the spirometer’s piston, opening alveoli, while nasal occlusion maximizes airflow. This technique prevents atelectasis, aligning with respiratory therapy and postoperative care guidelines.

Choice C reason: Inhaling normally before placing lips on the mouthpiece is incorrect, as incentive spirometry requires a maximal inspiratory effort, not a normal breath, to expand alveoli. Normal inhalation limits lung volume, reducing the device’s effectiveness in preventing postoperative atelectasis, per pulmonary rehabilitation principles.

Choice D reason: Holding the breath for 10 seconds after inhalation is excessive, as 3-5 seconds is sufficient to sustain alveolar expansion. A prolonged hold may cause discomfort or dizziness, reducing compliance. This instruction does not align with standard incentive spirometry protocols for postoperative lung function improvement.

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The patient complains of abdominal pain. Before palpating the abdomen, which action should the nurse perform?

Nursing Test Bank

Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams

A nurse is using a guide to provide moral standards for professional behavior in nursing. Which guide is the nurse using?

Correct Answer is C

Explanation

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Correct Answer is B

Explanation

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