Skin Integrity and Wound Care

A nurse is providing discharge instructions for a client who had a colon resection and has a Hemovac drain in place. Which statement indicates that the client understands?

"I will squeeze the chamber and apply the cap to maintain negative pressure."

A nurse is caring for a client who has an avulsion of her left thumb. Which description should the nurse understand as being the definition of avulsion?

Tearing of a structure from its normal position

The nurse is preparing to insert an IV for a client with dehydration. Which dressing supply will the nurse gather to take in the client's room?

transparent

The nurse is assessing the wounds of clients in a burn unit. Which wound would most likely heal by primary intention?

a surgical incision with sutured approximated edges

The nurse is caring for a client with an ankle sprain. Which client statement regarding an ice pack indicates that nursing teaching has been effective?

"I will put a layer of cloth between my skin and the ice pack."

The nurse is taking care of a client who asks about wound dehiscence. It is the second postoperative day. Which response by the nurse is most accurate?

"Dehiscence is when a wound has partial or total separation of the wound layers."

To determine a client's risk for pressure injury development, it is most important for the nurse to ask the client which question?

"Do you experience incontinence?"

The nurse is teaching a client who is preparing for a left mastectomy due to breast cancer. Which teaching about a Jackson-Pratt drain will the nurse include?

"It provides a way to remove drainage and blood from the surgical wound."

The nurse and client are looking at the client's heel pressure injury. The client asks, "Why does my heel look black?" What is the nurse's appropriate response?

"That is necrotic tissue, which must be removed to promote healing."

The nurse is teaching a client about healing of a minor surgical wound by first intention. What teaching will the nurse include?

"Very little scar tissue will form."

The nurse is teaching a client about healing of a large wound by primary intention. What teaching will the nurse include? Select all that apply.

"Very little scar tissue will form." "This is a simple reparative process." "Your wound edges are right next to each other."

The nurse is preparing to apply an external heating pad. To be effective yet not cause damage to the underlying tissue, in which temperature range will the nurse set the pad?

105°F to 109°F (40.5°C to 43°C)

How would the nurse document normal muscle strength?

5/5

A nurse is caring for a client who has had a left-side mastectomy. The nurse notes an intact Penrose drain. Which statement about Penrose drains is true?

A Penrose drain promotes passive drainage into a dressing.

For which client would the application of a hydrocolloid dressing be most appropriate?

A client who has a partial-thickness venous ulcer with moderate drainage

An obese client on the unit has demonstrated difficulty healing a large pressure injury. The nurse correctly recognizes that this is most likely because of which factor?

Adipose tissue is poorly vascularized.

A pediatric nurse is familiar with specific characteristics of children's skin. Which statement describes the common skin characteristics in a child?

An infant's skin and mucous membranes are easily injured and at risk for infection.

The nurse has removed the sutures and is now planning to apply wound closure strips. What should the nurse do before applying the strips?

Apply a skin protectant to the skin around the incision.

The nurse has received an order to apply a saline-moistened dressing to a client's wound. Which action should the nurse perform?

Apply dry gauze pads over the wet gauze and place the abdominal pad over the gauzes.

Upon assessing the client's jaw, the nurse finds decreased range of motion and notes crepitus. What would the nurse suspect?

Arthritis

A client reports acute pain while negative pressure wound therapy is in place. What should the nurse do first?

Assess the client's wound and vital signs.

A nurse is caring for a client who has a pressure injury on the left great toe. The client is scheduled for debridement the next morning. Based on the red-yellow-black (RYB) Wound Classification System, which classification should the nurse document?

Black classification

A nurse notices that a client has decreased range of motion with lateral bending of the cervical spine to the left side. What should the nurse do next in relation to this finding?

Compare this finding to the range of motion to the right side

Which is not considered a skin appendage?

Connective tissue

The wound care nurse evaluates a client's wound after being consulted. The client's wound healing has been slow. Upon assessment of the wound, the wound care nurse informs the medical-surgical nurse that the wound healing is being delayed due to the client's state of dehydration and dehydrated tissues in the wound that are crusty. What is another term for localized dehydration in a wound?

Desiccation

A nurse is obtaining a wound culture from a sacral pressure injury. After swabbing the area, the nurses determines that the wound was not cleaned. What is the priority action by the nurse?

Discard the swab, clean the wound with a nonantimicrobial cleanser, and obtain another swab

The nurse is performing frequent skin assessment at the site where cold therapy has been in place. The nurse notes pallor at the site and the client reports "it feels numb." What is the best action by the nurse at this time?

Discontinue the therapy and assess the client.

The nurse is caring for a client who had abdominal surgery 12 hours ago and notes a small amount of sanguineous drainage on the abdominal surgical dressing. What is the appropriate action by the nurse?

Document the findings.

The nurse is caring for a client with an irregular-shaped traumatic wound. What principles should the nurse use when gathering information about the wound to chart? Select all that apply.

Draw the shape of the wound with a description. Measure the wound's length and width. Assess color, drainage, presence of pain, or complications.

A patient presents at the clinic with an enlarged, swollen, hot, and red metatarsophalangeal joint and bursa of the great toe. What medical diagnosis would the nurse suspect?

Gouty arthritis

The nurse is caring for a client who has a stage IV pressure injury. Based on the nurse's understanding of wound healing, arrange the following four phases of wound healing in the correct order.

Hemostasis Inflammatory Proliferation Maturation

When the client performs straight leg flexion, the client complains of pain that radiates down his leg. The nurse understands that this may indicate what?

Herniated disc

What is the best nursing diagnosis to describe a minor laceration to the finger, sustained when a client was cutting fruit with a knife in the kitchen?

Impaired Skin Integrity related to open wound

A nurse removing sutures from a client's traumatic wound notices that the sutures are encrusted with blood and difficult to remove. What would be the nurse's most appropriate action?

Moisten sterile gauze with sterile saline to gently loosen crusts before removing sutures.

When assessing the right heel of a client who is confined to bed, the nurse notes a thick, leathery, black scab. What is the correct action by the nurse?

Off-load pressure from the heel.

The nurse is testing a client for carpal tunnel syndrome. The client flexes the wrists at an angle of 90° and holds the backs of the hands to each other for 60 seconds. The client tells the nurse that he is experiencing a burning pain as a result. Which test is the nurse performing on this patient?

Phalen's

A client who was injured when he stepped on a rusted nail visits the health care facility. How should the nurse describe this wound?

Puncture

Collection of a wound culture has been ordered for a client whose traumatic hand wound is showing signs of infection. When collecting this laboratory specimen, which action should the nurse take?

Rotate the swab several times over the wound surface to obtain an adequate specimen.

A client's pressure injury is superficial and presents clinically as an abrasion, blister, or shallow crater. How would the nurse document this pressure injury?

Stage II

A nurse is removing the staples from a client's surgical incision, as ordered. After removing the first few staples, the nurse notes that the edges of the wound pull apart as each staple is removed. What is the nurse's best action?

Stop removing staples and inform the surgeon

The nurse caring for a postoperative client is cleaning the client's wound. Which nursing action reflects the proper procedure for wound care?

The nurse works outward from the wound in lines parallel to it.

A client receiving a sitz bath complains of light-headedness to the nurse. What is the nurse's most appropriate action?

Stop the sitz bath, call for help, and help the client to the toilet to sit down.

A nursing instructor is teaching a student nurse about the layers of the skin. Which layer should the student nurse understand is a potential source of energy in an undernourished client?

Subcutaneous tissue

A nurse bandages the knee of a client who has recently undergone a knee surgery. What is the major purpose of the roller bandage?

Supports the area around the wound

A client fell from a truck and required abdominal surgery to repair lacerations of the abdomen and bowel. The client now has constant drainage from a wound that will not heal on the surface of the abdomen. What does the nurse identify has occurred with the client's wound?

The client has fistula formation.

The nurse is applying a heating pad to a client experiencing neck pain. Which nursing action is performed correctly?

The nurse keeps the pad in place for 20 to 30 minutes, assessing it regularly.

The nurse is changing the dressing of a client with a gunshot wound. What nursing action would the nurse provide?

The nurse selects a dressing that absorbs exudate, if it is present, but still maintains a moist environment.

What intervention should the nurse teach the client to support the underlying tissues and decrease discomfort after removal of surgical staples?

To splint the area when engaging in activity

A Penrose drain typically exits a client's skin through a stab wound created by the surgeon.

True

The nurse considers the impact of shearing forces in the development of pressure injuries in clients. Which client would be most likely to develop a pressure injury from shearing forces?

a client sitting in a chair who slides down

The nurse is performing pressure injury assessment for clients in a hospital setting. Which client would the nurse consider to be at greatest risk for developing a pressure injury?

a critical care client

A nursing student is providing a complete bed bath to a 60-year-old diabetic client. The student is conducting an assessment during the bath. The student observes a red, raised rash under the client's breasts. This manifestation is most consistent with:

a rash related to a yeast infection.

Which clients would be considered at risk for skin alterations? Select all that apply.

a teenager with multiple body piercings a client receiving radiation therapy a client with diabetes

An older adult client has been admitted to the hospital with dehydration, and the nurse has inserted a peripheral intravenous line into the client's forearm in order to facilitate rehydration. What type of dressing should the nurse apply over the client's venous access site?

a transparent film

A client recovering from abdominal surgery sneezes and then screams, "My insides are hanging out!" What is the initial nursing intervention?

applying sterile dressings with normal saline over the protruding organs and tissue

While assessing the elbow of an adult client, the client complains of pain and swelling. The nurse should further assess the client for

arthritis.

A nurse is caring for a client with a chronic wound on the left buttock. The wound is 8.3 × 6.4 cm. Which action should the nurse use during wound care?

cleanse with a new gauze for each stroke

A teacher brings a student to the school nurse and explains that the student fell onto both knees while running in the hallway. The knees have since turned shades of blue and purple. Which type of injury does the nurse anticipate assessing?

contusion

Upon review of a postoperative client's medication list, the nurse recognizes that which medication will delay the healing of the operative wound?

corticosteroids

The nurse is preparing to apply a roller bandage to the stump of a client who had a below-the-knee amputation. What is the nurse's first action?

elevating and supporting the stump

The nurse is assessing a client's surgical wound after abdominal surgery and sees viscera protruding through the abdominal wound opening. Which term best describes this complication?

evisceration

Joints may be classified as cartilaginous, synovial, or

fibrous.

The nurse is preparing to apply a roller bandage to a client with a sprained knee. Which technique does the nurse plan to use?

figure-of-eight turn

A client visits the clinic and tells the nurse that after playing softball yesterday, he thinks his knee is "locking up." The nurse should perform the McMurray test by asking the client to

flex the knee and hip while in a supine position.

A client has osteoarthritis of the elbow. Which assessment approach should the nurse expect to be impacted by this health problem?

flexion

The nurse is caring for a client in the emergency department with a cut sustained 15 minutes ago while the client was preparing dinner at home. The nurse understands that the wound is in which phase of healing?

hemostasis phase

Articulation between the head of the femur and the acetabulum is in the

hip joint.

What type of dressing has the advantage of remaining in place for three to seven days, resulting in less interference with wound healing?

hydrocolloid dressing

When assessing a wound that a client sustained as a result of surgery, the nurse notes well-approximated edges and no signs of infection. How will the nurse document this assessment finding?

incision

On inspection of the spine of a 79-year-old man, the nurse might expect to find a(n)

increased thoracic curve

A nurse is conducting a physical examination of the musculoskeletal system of a client who reports having joint pain. Which signs indicate there is inflammation in the joints? Select all that apply.

redness swelling tenderness warmth

Which best describes the proliferative phase, the third phase of the wound healing process?

reproduction and migration of pink epidermal cells across the surface of the wound in a process called epithelialization

While assessing the range of motion in an adult client's shoulders, the client expresses pain and exhibits limited abduction and muscle weakness. The nurse plans to refer the client to a physician for possible

rotator cuff tear.

A nurse is treating a client who has a wound with full-thickness tissue loss and edges that do not readily approximate. The nurse knows that the open wound will gradually fill with granulation tissue. Which type of wound healing is this?

secondary intention

A nurse is assessing a client's surgical wound and sees drainage that is pale pink-yellow and thin and contains plasma and red cells. What is this type of drainage?

serosanguineous

A nurse is documenting on a client who has had an appendectomy. During a dressing change of the surgical site, the nurse observed a watery pink drainage on the dressing. Which drainage type should the nurse document?

serosanguineous

The nurse is caring for a client with a sacral wound. Upon assessment, the wound is noted to have slough and a bad odor, and it extends into the muscle. How will the nurse categorize this pressure injury?

stage IV

The nurse is going to test range of motion in a patient. To test extension of the triceps muscle, the nurse would instruct the patient to

straighten the elbow

A nurse is caring for a client with dehydration at the health care facility. The client is receiving glucose intravenously. What type of dressing should the nurse use to cover the IV insertion site?

transparent

A nurse is caring for a 78-year-old client who was admitted after a femur fracture. The primary care provider placed the client on bed rest. Which action should the nurse perform to prevent a pressure injury?

use pillows to maintain a side-lying position as needed

A nurse is cleaning the wound of a client who has been injured by a gunshot. Which guideline is recommended for this procedure?

Clean the wound from the top to the bottom and from the center to outside.

A postoperative client is being transferred from the bed to a gurney and states, "I feel like something has just given away." What should the nurse assess in the client?

Dehiscence of the wound

The nurse is helping a confused client with a large leg wound order dinner. Which food item is most appropriate for the nurse to select to promote wound healing?

Fish

The nurse is preparing a care plan for a client who has recently undergone a mastectomy. Which nursing diagnosis should the nurse rank with the highest priority?

Impaired tissue integrity

The nurse is caring for a client who has a wound to the right forearm following a motor vehicle accident. The primary care provider has ordered culture of the wound. Which action should the nurse perform in obtaining a wound culture?

Keep the swab and the inside of the culture tube sterile.

A client's risk for the development of a pressure injury is most likely due to which lab result?

albumin 2.5 mg/dL

A nurse is caring for a client who has a wound with a large area of necrotic tissue. The health care provider has ordered fly larvae to debride the wound. Which of the following types of debridement does the nurse understand has been ordered?

biosurgical debridement

Which activity should the nurse implement to decrease shearing force on a client's stage II pressure injury?

preventing the client from sliding in bed

The nurse is assessing the spine of an adult client and detects lateral curvature of the thoracic spine with an increase in convexity on the left curved side. The nurse suspects that the client is experiencing

scoliosis.

The nurse is caring for a client who has reported to the emergency department with a steam burn to the right forearm. The burn is pink and has small blisters. The burn is most likely:

second degree or partial thickness

The nurse and client are looking at a client's heel pressure injury. The client asks, "Why is there a small part of this wound that is dry and brown?" What is the nurse's appropriate response?

"Necrotic tissue is devitalized tissue that must be removed to promote healing."

The nurse is teaching a client about wound care at home following a cesarean birth of her baby. Which client statement requires further nursing teaching?

"Reinforced adhesive skin closures will hold my wound together until it heals."

The registered nurse (RN) observes the licensed practical nurse (LPN) preforming this action when applying a topical gel to a client's surigical wound during a dressing change. What instructions should the RN provide the LPN regarding this action?

"To best avoid further traumatizing the wound bed, apply the gel with a sterile cotton tip applicator."

When removing a wound dressing, the nurse observes some skin irritation next to the right side of the wound edge where the tape was removed. Because the client requires frequent dressing changes, the nurse decides to use Montgomery straps to secure the dressing from now on. How will the nurse apply the skin barrier needed before applying the straps?

Apply skin barrier at least 1 in (2.5 cm) away from the area of irritation.

When assessing the foot and ankle of a clinic patient, the nurse notes that the patient complains of pain along the Achilles tendon. What might this patient have?

Bursitis

A client presents to the health care clinic with reports of onset of neck pain 3 days ago. The nurse recognizes that the most common cause of neck pain is what condition?

Cervical strain

A client presents to the emergency department after falling off a ladder while doing some outside painting at home. The client's ankle appears swollen, out of alignment, and is painful to touch. What is the nurse's first action?

Check for a pulse, color, temperature, and capillary refill.

The nurse is developing a plan of care for a client found to have a strength problem. What would be an appropriate nursing diagnosis for this client?

Impaired physical mobility

What is the best way for the nurse to ensure there is not any tension on the tubing when caring for a client with a Jackson-Pratt drain?

Secure the drain to the client's gown with a safety pin below the level of the wound.

A postoperative client says during a transfer, "I feel like something just popped." The nurse immediately assesses for:

dehiscence