chapter 51 med/surg

The nurse is caring for a newly deaf client who is learning to read lips. Which client statement indicates that additional teaching is needed?

"After I practice lip reading for a while, I won't need to worry about using sign language anymore."

Which recommendation does the nurse provide for the client with Ménière's disease who has periodic spells of vertigo?

"Avoid wearing high-heeled shoes."

A client is being discharged after a tympanoplasty. Which instruction about cephalexin (Keflex) does the nurse provide to this client?

"Be sure to finish all the Keflex pills, even if you feel fine."

A client tells the nurse, "Bumps have developed in my ear canals from my hearing aid." Which is the nurse's best recommendation for the client?

"Clean your hearing aid with mild soap and water and make sure that it is completely dry before inserting it in your ears."

The nurse is caring for a client who has just been diagnosed with profound hearing loss. The client tells the nurse, "The doctors must have made a mistake. There's no way I can be deaf!" Which is the nurse's best response?

"I can tell that you are anxious and scared about your hearing."

The nurse is caring for a client with a furuncle on the pinna at the opening of the ear canal. The nurse is reviewing home care instructions with the client. Which statement by the client indicates that additional teaching is needed?

"I will gently squeeze the sore to drain the liquid out once a day."

The nurse teaches a client's wife how to administer eardrops to the client. Which statement by the client's wife indicates that additional teaching is needed?

"I will have my husband lay on his back with his chin up when I give him the eardrops."

The nurse is providing discharge instructions for a client who will be going home following tympanoplasty surgery. Which statement by the client indicates that additional teaching is needed?

"I will use a cotton swab to clean drainage from inside my ear."

The client requires a hearing aid but tells the nurse that he cannot afford to pay for it right now. What is the nurse's best response?

"I'll ask the social worker about organizations that help pay for hearing aids."

A client is being started on scopolamine (Transderm Scop) for vertigo. What does the nurse tell the client regarding this medication?

"It is recommended that you limit activities requiring a detailed focus."

A client with a ruptured tympanic membrane asks the nurse whether hearing will be affected permanently. Which is the nurse's best response?

"Possibly. The eardrum usually heals in 1 to 2 weeks. Any persistent hearing problem should be evaluated."

The nurse is caring for a client with Ménière's disease. The client asks the nurse how to prevent another acute episode from occurring. Which is the nurse's best response?

"Stop or reduce cigarette smoking."

The nurse is caring for a client with Ménière's disease. What does the nurse recommend to the client to reduce the symptoms of vertigo?

"When dizziness begins, lie down and keep your head still."

The nurse is assessing several clients with hearing loss. Which client does the nurse recommend should investigate hearing aids?

Client who had chronic middle ear infections during childhood

When performing a client's physical assessment, the nurse notes that the client has conductive hearing loss. Which finding does the nurse expect to see in the client's medical history?

Frequent episodes of otitis media during childhood

The nurse is caring for a client with otitis media and notes purulent drainage in the ear canal during the physical assessment. Which is the nurse's priority intervention?

Gently examine the client's ear with an otoscope.

The nurse is caring for an older client whose ear canals are impacted with hard cerumen. Which action by the nurse is best to remove the cerumen?

Instruct the client to put a few drops of mineral oil into each ear every evening and to schedule the irrigation for 3 days later.

The nurse is caring for a client with external otitis. Which assessment finding indicates to the nurse that the client's infection has worsened?

The auricular lymph nodes have increased in size over the last 24 hours.

The nurse is caring for a client with otitis media. The client reports that the pain was severe during the night but was gone upon awakening in the morning. Which finding does the nurse expect to observe during the client's physical assessment?

Purulent fluid is present in the ear canal.

Which is the best approach for the nurse to use to obtain a history from a client with sudden hearing loss?

Write out the questions for the client to answer.