Safety, Security, and Emergency Preparedness

What generalization can be made about safety in patient care?
A)
Healthcare providers exclude safety as a patient need.
B)
Although safety is a basic human need, it is provided by self-care.
C)
Safety is an important need, but not as important as self-actualization.
D)
Safety is a paramount concern underlying all nursing care.

A nurse making a home visit for a patient living in a high-crime area observes that the apartment building does not have outside lighting. Why is this an important assessment?
A)
It will make the patient less able to go to social gatherings.
B)
Assessment includes risk factors in the home.
C)
Although important, this assessment is irrelevant to care.
D)
Nurses in home healthcare are not concerned with safety.

Which of the following are examples of developmental risk factors? Select all that apply.
A)
A toddler is allowed to crawl in a house that has not been childproofed.
B)
A machinist works in an environment that exposes him to loud noises.
C)
A sales executive worries that he won’t make his yearly sales quota.
D)
An elderly woman in a long-term healthcare facility is at high risk for falls.
E)
A 42-year-old woman is unable to move her left side following a stroke.
F)
A teenager has difficulty ambulating following multiple fractures from a MVA.

A patient is very anxious and states, I am so stressed. Why do these factors affect the patient’s safety?
A)
stress increases retention of information
B)
stress affects interpersonal relationships
C)
stress increases concern about hazards
D)
stress tends to narrow the attention span

A nurse is assessing a patient who recently had a stroke. What is one area of assessment necessary to promote safety?
A)
skin integrity
B)
neuromuscular status
C)
hygiene
D)
abdominal integrity

A patient with type 1 diabetes has impaired sensation in her lower extremities. What teaching would be necessary to reduce her risk of injury?
A)
Always test the temperature of bath water before stepping in.
B)
Take your insulin twice a day as we have discussed.
C)
Remember to follow your diet so you lose weight this month.
D)
Rub lotion on the skin of your legs and feet twice a day.

Which of the following people is at greater risk for accidental injury?
A)
an infant just learning to crawl
B)
an older adult who walks 2 miles a day
C)
an athlete who exercises on a regular basis
D)
a worker who operates industrial machines

What age group is most vulnerable to toxic fumes or asphyxiation?
A)
young children
B)
adolescents
C)
young adults
D)
middle adults

Which of the following nursing diagnoses would be appropriate for teaching interventions for a single mother who leaves her toddler unattended in the bathtub?
A)
Noncompliance
B)
Risk for Suffocation
C)
Risk for Falls
D)
Risk for Imbalanced Body Temperature

10.

A confused elderly woman who keeps attempting to remove tubes from her surgical incision is placed in wrist restraints. Which of the following diagnoses would be appropriate for this patient?
A)
Risk for Contamination
B)
Risk for Trauma
C)
Risk for Falls
D)
Risk for Disuse Syndrome

11.

Which set of terms best describes first-aid care?
A)
long-term, chronic illness
B)
professional, hospital
C)
immediate, temporary
D)
skilled, complex

12.

A nurse is conducting a prenatal class for expectant parents. What is one topic that should be addressed to promote safety in the developing fetus?
A)
alcohol consumption and smoking
B)
infant hygiene and feeding
C)
the stages of labor with possible complications
D)
the role of the father in proper prenatal care

13.

What safety device for children is mandated by law in all 50 states?
A)
bumper pads in baby cribs
B)
infant car seats and carriers
C)
automatic hot water heater controls
D)
parental controls for Internet access

14.

An emergency room nurse is assessing a toddler with multiple bruises and burns. The nurse suspects the toddler has been abused. What is legally required of the nurse?
A)
Nothing; the nurse has no control over the toddler’s home.
B)
Refer the caregivers of the toddler to a home health nurse.
C)
Verbally confront the caregivers about the suspicions.
D)
Report suspicions about the abuse to proper authorities.

15.

A grade school nurse is addressing parents at a PTA meeting regarding car safety. Which of the following is a recommended safety guideline for this age group?
A)
All school-aged children need to be secured in safety seats.
B)
Booster seats should be used for children until they are 4-feet 9-inches tall or at least 8 years of age.
C)
Children under 8 years old should ride in the back seat.
D)
All school-aged children need to be secured in lap seat belts.

16.

An adolescent has recently had a ring inserted into her navel. What is the adolescent at risk for developing?
A)
a scar over the navel
B)
a local and/or systemic infection
C)
a greater acceptance by peers
D)
a strained relationship with parents

17.

A nurse is teaching parents about Internet safety for their children. Which of the following are recommended guidelines for Internet use? Select all that apply.
A)
Keep identifying information posted on the Web sites.
B)
Use filtering software to block objectionable information.
C)
Investigate any public chat rooms used by the children.
D)
Emphasize that everything read online is usually true.
E)
Be alert for downloaded files with suffixes that indicate images or pictures.
F)
Consider locating the computer in a central location in the house.

18.

A nurse specializes in caring for victims of domestic violence. Which of the following statements accurately describes domestic violence in the United States? Select all that apply.
A)
Studies indicate that each year, more than 2,000,000 adults in the United States are victims of intimate partner violence.
B)
Intimate partner violence is domestic violence or battering between two people who are married.
C)
More than 85% of those abused in intimate partner violence are women.
D)
Many men who batter their spouses also batter their children.
E)
There is no evidence linking childhood sexual abuse to adult physical symptoms or substance abuse.
F)
Nurses are advised to suggest other resources for the victims of violence instead of providing their own counseling.

19.

Nurses provide many interventions to prevent falls in healthcare settings. Which of the following would be an appropriate fall-prevention intervention?
A)
Keep bed in the high position.
B)
Keep side rails up at all times.
C)
Apply restraints to all confused patients.
D)
Lock wheels on beds and wheelchairs.

20.

A nurse has conducted a timed get up and go test to assess an older adult’s risk for a fall. The patient completes the test in 30 seconds. Based on the finding, what will the nurse do?
A)
Continue with the plan of care for this fully mobile patient.
B)
Document the time of the test and observe the patient.
C)
Develop a care plan for Impaired Physical Mobility.
D)
Maintain the patient on bedrest to prevent falling.

21.

An elderly woman in a long-term care facility has fallen and sustained several injuries. Which of her injuries would be the most serious fall-related injury?
A)
fractured hip
B)
fractured ulna
C)
lacerated lip
D)
thigh contusion

22.

The nurse is following the Joint Commission’s national patient safety goals when giving medications. Based on these goals, how can the nurse improve the accuracy of patient identification?
A)
Use two patient identifiers (neither to be the room number).
B)
Use two patient identifiers (one may be the room number).
C)
Check the patient’s armband three times.
D)
Say to the patient are you Mrs. Jones?

23.

A nurse makes a medication error and fills out an incident report. What will the nurse do with the incident report once it is filled out?
A)
Place it in the patient’s medical record.
B)
Take it home and keep it locked up.
C)
Maintain it according to agency policy.
D)
Include it with documentation of the error.

24.

In what situation would the use of side rails not be considered a restraint?
A)
The nurse keeps them raised at all times.
B)
The institution’s policies mandate using side rails.
C)
A visitor requests their use.
D)
A patient requests they be up at night.

25.

Bioterrorism has become a commonly used term. What is the definition of bioterrorism?
A)
a verbal threat by those wishing to harm specific individuals
B)
a written threat calculated to produce terror in a family
C)
the deliberate spread of pathogens into a community
D)
a worldwide plan to produce illness and injury

26.

A patient arrives at the Emergency Department with nausea, hematemesis, fever, abdominal pain, and severe diarrhea. There is a suspicion the patient has been exposed to the anthrax bacillus. What category of medications will be administered?
A)
antimicrobials
B)
narcotics
C)
antihistamines
D)
antacids

27.

If an individual has smallpox, how would it most likely be spread?
A)
fecal-oral route
B)
direct contact
C)
contaminated items
D)
by birds

28.

Which of the following is an example of a natural disaster?
A)
toxic spill
B)
war
C)
terrorist event
D)
earthquake

29.

When should a healthcare facility determine how to deliver care if an emergency or disaster occurs?
A)
as soon as the disaster is announced publicly
B)
when it is officially informed that a disaster has occurred
C)
after the first disaster has been experienced
D)
in advance of a possible emergency or disaster

30.

What statement by a patient would indicate that a nurse had successfully implemented a teaching/learning strategy to prevent injury in the home?
A)
I will turn off the outside lights and lock the doors every night.
B)
Do you think it would be best for me to buy a gun?
C)
I am going to remove all those throw rugs on the floor.
D)
Well, I always let the boys play in the bathtub; they love it.

Answer Key

A, D