Foundations and Adult Health Nursing Study Guide Answers

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: Fidelity is a principle in nursing ethics that pertains to being faithful or loyal to commitments and promises made to patients. When Nurse Pat promised to come back to assist in the patient's ambulation after carrying out the physician's order, she is demonstrating fidelity by fulfilling her commitment to the patient's care. This principle helps build trust between the nurse and the patient, ensuring continuity and quality of care.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Mast cells are primarily responsible for mediating allergic responses such as severe allergies. When an allergen triggers the immune response, mast cells release histamine, leukotrienes, and other inflammatory mediators. These substances cause symptoms such as difficulty breathing, hives, and swelling. Basophils also release histamine, but mast cells are more abundant in tissues and play a significant role in allergic reactions. Eosinophils are involved in allergic reactions but are more focused on combating parasitic infections. Neutrophils are not typically involved in allergic responses but play a key role in combating bacterial infections.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: A living will is a legal document that allows an individual to express their wishes regarding medical treatment in the event they become unable to make decisions. It specifically outlines the medical treatments a person chooses to refuse or accept under certain circumstances. It is important to differentiate a living will from a durable power of attorney, which designates someone to make healthcare decisions on behalf of the individual when they are unable to do so, and advance directives, which encompass both a living will and a durable power of attorney for healthcare. The living will serves as a guide for healthcare professionals and family members to honor the individual's preferences for medical care.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: When a patient with terminal cancer experiences dyspnea (difficulty breathing) and anxiety, opioid medications are often prioritized by palliative care providers for symptom management. Opioids are effective in relieving dyspnea by acting as respiratory depressants and reducing the feeling of air hunger. Additionally, opioids have sedative effects that can help alleviate anxiety and promote relaxation. Therefore, in this situation, prescribing opioid medications would be the most appropriate intervention to address both the dyspnea and anxiety symptoms simultaneously. Oxygen therapy, relaxation techniques, and breathing exercises may also be useful adjunctive interventions, but opioid medications are typically prioritized for immediate symptom relief in this context.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The presentation of a painful, vesicular rash in a dermatomal distribution on the left thorax, specifically in a patient with a history of chickenpox, is most suggestive of herpes zoster, commonly known as shingles. Herpes zoster is caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus responsible for chickenpox. After a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus remains dormant in the nerve cells and can reactivate years later to cause shingles. The rash in herpes zoster typically progresses through different stages, including red patches leading to fluid-filled blisters. The characteristic rash typically appears unilaterally and is usually preceded by pain, burning, or tingling in the affected area. Unlike herpes simplex virus infection, which can cause similar lesions but is not typically localized to a specific dermatome, herpes zoster presents as a distinct unilateral cluster of vesicles along