Osteoporosis

2. A nurse is assessing an older client and discovers back pain with tenderness along T2 and T3. What action by the nurse is best? a. Consult with the provider about an x-ray. b. Encourage the client to use ibuprofen (Motrin). c. Have the client perform hip range of motion. d. Place the client in a rigid cervical collar.

ANS: A Back pain with tenderness is indicative of a spinal compression fracture, which is the most common type of osteoporotic fracture. The nurse should consult the provider about an x-ray. Motrin may be indicated but not until there is a diagnosis. Range of motion of the hips is not related, although limited spinal range of motion may be found with a vertebral compression fracture. Since the defect is in the thoracic spine, a cervical collar is not needed.

3. A client has been advised to perform weight-bearing exercises to help minimize osteoporosis. The client admits to not doing the prescribed exercises. What action by the nurse is best? a. Ask the client about fear of falling. b. Instruct the client to increase calcium. c. Suggest other exercises the client can do. d. Tell the client to try weight lifting. Get jacked bro0o

ANS: A Fear of falling can limit participation in activity. The nurse should first assess if the client has this fear and then offer suggestions for dealing with it. The client may or may not need extra calcium, other exercises, or weight lifting.

16. What information does the nurse teach a women's group about osteoporosis? a. "For 5 years after menopause you lose 2% of bone mass yearly." b. "Men actually have higher rates of the disease but are underdiagnosed." c. "There is no way to prevent or slow osteoporosis after menopause." d. "Women and men have an equal chance of getting osteoporosis."

ANS: A For the first 5 years after menopause, women lose about 2% of their bone mass each year. Men have a slower loss of bone after the age of 75. Many treatments are now available for women to slow osteoporosis after menopause.

6. A client in a nursing home refuses to take medications. She is at high risk for osteomalacia. What action by the nurse is best? a. Ensure the client gets 15 minutes of sun exposure daily. b. Give the client daily vitamin D injections. c. Hide vitamin D supplements in favorite foods. d. Plan to serve foods naturally high in vitamin D.

ANS: A Sunlight is a good source of vitamin D, and the nursing staff can ensure some sun exposure each day. Vitamin D is not given by injection. Hiding the supplement in food is unethical. Very few foods are naturally high in vitamin D, but some are supplemented.

7. A client is in the internal medicine clinic reporting bone pain. The client's alkaline phosphatase level is 180 units/L. What action by the nurse is most appropriate? a. Assess the client for leg bowing. b. Facilitate an oncology workup. c. Instruct the client on fluid restrictions. d. Teach the client about ibuprofen (Motrin).

ANS: A This client has manifestations of Paget's disease. The nurse should assess for other manifestations such as bowing of the legs. Other care measures can be instituted once the client has a confirmed diagnosis.

17. A client with osteoporosis is going home, where the client lives alone. What action by the nurse is best? a. Arrange a home safety evaluation. b. Ensure the client has a walker at home. c. Help the client look into assisted living. d. Refer the client to Meals on Wheels.

ANS: A This client has several risk factors that place him or her at a high risk for falling. The nurse should consult social work or home health care to conduct a home safety evaluation. The other options may or may not be needed based upon the client's condition at discharge.

1. A nurse is assessing a community group for dietary factors that contribute to osteoporosis. In addition to inquiring about calcium, the nurse also assesses for which other dietary components? (Select all that apply.) a. Alcohol b. Caffeine c. Fat d. Carbonated beverages e. Vitamin D

ANS: A, B, D, E Dietary components that affect the development of osteoporosis include alcohol, caffeine, high phosphorus intake, carbonated beverages, and vitamin D. Tobacco is also a contributing lifestyle factor. Fat intake does not contribute to osteoporosis.

6. The nurse is assessing a client for chronic osteomyelitis. Which features distinguish this from the acute form of the disease? (Select all that apply.) a. Draining sinus tracts b. High fevers c. Presence of foot ulcers d. Swelling and redness e. Tenderness or pain

ANS: A, C Draining sinus tracts and foot ulcers are seen in chronic osteomyelitis. High fever, swelling, and redness are more often seen in acute osteomyelitis. Pain or tenderness can be in either case.

4. A client with chronic osteomyelitis is being discharged from the hospital. What information is important for the nurse to teach this client and family? (Select all that apply.) a. Adherence to the antibiotic regimen b. Correct intramuscular injection technique c. Eating high-protein and high-carbohydrate foods d. Keeping daily follow-up appointments e. Proper use of the intravenous equipment

ANS: A, C, E The client going home with chronic osteomyelitis will need long-term antibiotic therapy—first intravenous, then oral. The client needs education on how to properly administer IV antibiotics, care for the IV line, adhere to the regimen, and eat a healthy diet to encourage wound healing. The antibiotics are not given by IM injection. The client does not need daily follow-up.

1. A client has a bone density score of -2.8. What action by the nurse is best? a. Asking the client to complete a food diary b. Planning to teach about bisphosphonates c. Scheduling another scan in 2 years d. Scheduling another scan in 6 months

ANS: B A T-score from a bone density scan at or lower than -2.5 indicates osteoporosis. The nurse should plan to teach about medications used to treat this disease. One class of such medications is bisphosphonates. A food diary is helpful to determine if the client gets adequate calcium and vitamin D, but at this point, dietary changes will not prevent the disease. Simply scheduling another scan will not help treat the disease either.

5. A client has been prescribed denosumab (Prolia). What instruction about this drug is most appropriate? a. "Drink at least 8 ounces of water with it." b. "Make appointments to come get your shot." c. "Sit upright for 30 to 60 minutes after taking it." d. "Take the drug on an empty stomach."

ANS: B Denosumab is given by subcutaneous injection twice a year. The client does not need to drink 8 ounces of water with this medication as it is not taken orally. The client does not need to remain upright for 30 to 60 minutes after taking this medication, nor does the client need to take the drug on an empty stomach.

10. A client has a metastatic bone tumor. What action by the nurse takes priority? a. Administer pain medication as prescribed. b. Elevate the extremity and apply moist heat. c. Handle the affected extremity with caution. d. Place the client on protective precautions.

ANS: C Bones invaded by tumors are very fragile and fracture easily. For client safety, the nurse handles the affected extremity with great care. Pain medication should be given to control pain. Elevation and heat may or may not be helpful. Protective precautions are not needed for this client.

15. A nurse sees clients in an osteoporosis clinic. Which client should the nurse see first? a. Client taking calcium with vitamin D (Os-Cal) who reports flank pain 2 weeks ago b. Client taking ibandronate (Boniva) who cannot remember when the last dose was c. Client taking raloxifene (Evista) who reports unilateral calf swelling d. Client taking risedronate (Actonel) who reports occasional dyspepsia

ANS: C The client on raloxifene needs to be seen first because of the manifestations of deep vein thrombosis, which is an adverse effect of raloxifene. The client with flank pain may have had a kidney stone but is not acutely ill now. The client who cannot remember taking the last dose of ibandronate can be seen last. The client on risedronate may need to change medications.

18. A client is scheduled for a bone biopsy. What action by the nurse takes priority? a. Administering the preoperative medications b. Answering any questions about the procedure c. Ensuring that informed consent is on the chart d. Showing the client's family where to wait

ANS: C The priority is to ensure that informed consent is on the chart. The preoperative medications should not be administered until the nurse is confident the procedure will occur and the client has already signed the consent, if the medications include anxiolytics or sedatives or opioids. The provider should answer questions about the procedure. The nurse does show the family where to wait, but this is not the priority and could be delegated.

9. A nurse is caring for four clients. After the hand-off report, which client does the nurse see first? a. Client with osteoporosis and a white blood cell count of 27,000/mm3 b. Client with osteoporosis and a bone fracture who requests pain medication c. Post-microvascular bone transfer client whose distal leg is cool and pale d. Client with suspected bone tumor who just returned from having a spinal CT

ANS: C This client is the priority because the assessment findings indicate a critical lack of perfusion. A high white blood cell count is an expected finding for the client with osteoporosis. The client requesting pain medication should be seen second. The client who just returned from a CT scan is stable and needs no specific postprocedure care.

2. A nurse is providing education to a community women's group about lifestyle changes helpful in preventing osteoporosis. What topics does the nurse cover? (Select all that apply.) a. Cut down on tobacco product use. b. Limit alcohol to two drinks a day. c. Strengthening exercises are important. d. Take recommended calcium and vitamin D. e. Walk 30 minutes at least 3 times a week.

ANS: C, D, E Lifestyle changes can be made to decrease the occurrence of osteoporosis and include strengthening and weight-bearing exercises and getting the recommended amounts of both calcium and vitamin D. Tobacco should be totally avoided. Women should not have more than one drink per day.

7. The nurse studying osteoporosis learns that which drugs can cause this disorder? (Select all that apply.) a. Antianxiety agents b. Antibiotics c. Barbiturates d. Corticosteroids e. Loop diuretics

ANS: C, D, E Several classes of drugs can cause secondary osteoporosis, including barbiturates, corticosteroids, and loop diuretics. Antianxiety agents and antibiotics are not associated with the formation of osteoporosis.

4. The nurse sees several clients with osteoporosis. For which client would bisphosphonates not be a good option? a. Client with diabetes who has a serum creatinine of 0.8 mg/dL b. Client who recently fell and has vertebral compression fractures c. Hypertensive client who takes calcium channel blockers d. Client with a spinal cord injury who cannot tolerate sitting up

ANS: D Clients on bisphosphonates must be able to sit upright for 30 to 60 minutes after taking them. The client who cannot tolerate sitting up is not a good candidate for this class of drug. Poor renal function also makes clients bad candidates for this drug, but the client with a creatinine of 0.8 mg/dL is within normal range. Diabetes and hypertension are not related unless the client also has renal disease. The client who recently fell and sustained fractures is a good candidate for this drug if the fractures are related to osteoporosis