Chapter 27: Safety, Security, and Emergency Preparedness

A nurse on a medical unit recognizes the need to demonstrate Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) competencies in clinical practice. Which action best demonstrates the skills necessary to meet the QSEN competency of safety?

filling out an incident report accurately after a client went missing from the unit

The health department is reviewing community health initiatives for the year. During the summer, the health department focuses infection control activities on which program?

using pesticides for mosquitoes

The poison control nurse receives a call from the parent of a 2-year-old child. The parent states, "I just took a quick shower, and when I finished, I walked into the kitchen and found my child with an open bottle of household cleaner." What is the poison control nurse's appropriate response?

"Is your child breathing at this time?"

What is the most important safety concept that a nurse should include in the teaching plan for a family with a newborn infant in the household?

Avoid stuffed animals and blankets in the crib.

What is the best short-term outcome for a client with the nursing diagnosis of Risk for Injury related to risk-taking behaviors?

The client will identify behaviors that would decrease the risk for injury.

The nurse uses the QSEN competency of Informatics when planning care for clients. What is an example of the use of this skill?

The nurse researches new technological advances in the treatment of cancer.

Which item would alert the home care nurse to a safety hazard threatening a young child?

Dangling blind cords

Unintentional injuries are a major cause of disability and death in the United States. For adults, where do unintentional injuries fall on the list of leading causes of death?

Fifth

What best describes the nurse's role in disaster preparedness?

Multiple roles, including triage and the distribution of resources

An order for a waist restraint has been obtained for a client who is a threat to her own safety. The nurse should perform which action?

Insert a fist between the restraint and the client to ensure that her breathing is not constricted.

A nurse smells smoke and subsequently discovers a fire in a garbage can in a common area on the hospital unit. What is the nurse's priority action in this situation?

Rescue anyone who is in immediate danger.

The nurse is performing a safety belt fit test for a young client at a well-child check-up. What criteria confirms that the child may sit in the back seat of a vehicle with a lap and shoulder belt in place?

The child's feet touch the floor of the car when belted in with the lap and shoulder belt.

The acute care nurse is caring for a client who is at risk for falling. Which desired outcome is most appropriate for this client?

The client will not experience a fall and remains free of injury.

A nurse is caring for an 18-month-old client after a tracheostomy. The is recovering well and noted a desire to be more active. The nurse selects a toy from the playroom for the client to play with. Which toy is most developmentally appropriate?

a rocking horse

The nurse has delegated several parts of basic care for a client who is a fall risk to an unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) member. Which UAP action requires nursing intervention?

assisting the client to put on slippers prior to ambulation

The nurse is providing safety teaching to the family of an older adult client. Which finding in the client's home will the nurse teach the family to address?

A hair dryer is placed next to the sink.

A nurse is providing instructions to the mother of a toddler regarding the prevention of burn injuries in the toddler. Which instruction is the priority to provide to the mother?

Keep coffee cups on the counter above the child's reach.

A client on a hospital unit has been infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) because a nurse mistakenly connected an HCV-positive client's intravenous pump and tubing. What is an appropriate response by the hospital to this incident?

Report this sentinel event to the Joint Commission and to relevant state agencies

The nurse is teaching an unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) about fire safety. Which UAP statement demonstrates that teaching has been effective?

"I will rescue clients from harm before doing anything else."

The nurse is providing education to a group of healthy older adults. Which nursing recommendation best promotes client safety in an independent living environment?

Encourage exercise that improves balance and muscle strength

The nurse is caring for a school-age child and notices a variety of circular burns on the back and legs in various stages of healing. What action should the nurse take related to this suspicion?

Notify the National Abuse Hotline.

Which safety tip could the nurse give to parents to help decrease the risk of the leading cause of injury or death in children 1 to 4 years of age?

"Always provide close supervision for young children when they are in or around pools and bathtubs."

A new mother inquires about the use of a car seat for her infant. Which information provided by the nurse is most accurate regarding the use of a rear-facing safety seat for an infant?

A rear-facing safety seat should be used for infants and toddlers younger than 2 years old or up to the maximum weight for the seat.

The nurse is evaluating risk factors for a developmentally diverse group of clients. What risk factors does the nurse identify? Select all that apply.

A toddler is allowed to crawl in a house that has not been childproofed. An older adult woman in a long-term health care facility is at high risk for falls.

A nurse is teaching parents about Internet safety for children. Which actions are recommended guidelines for Internet use? Select all that apply.

Use filtering software to block objectionable information. Investigate any public chat rooms used by the children. Be alert for downloaded files with suffixes that indicate images or pictures.

The nurse is conducting a community education program on bike helmet safety. The nurse determines additional information is needed when a participant states:

"I should be able to fit two fingers between my chin and the chin strap."

The nurse is conducting discharge teaching for a caregiver and a toddler. Which statement by the caregiver indicates the need for additional teaching?

"I will check my text messages while my child is in the tub."

Which statement indicates that a family understands the teaching that has been provided by the nurse related to car seat safety for their 3-year-old child?

"We place our child in a front-facing car seat in the back seat of the car."

Owen is a 15-year-old client who is waking up postoperatively. He became combative and tried to strangle one of the nurses. A support team was called and 4-point restraints were applied in this emergent situation. How soon does a licensed provider need to assess the client and place the restraint order?

1 hour

A school-age child is admitted to the emergency room with the diagnosis of a concussion following a collision when playing football. After the collision, the parents state that he was "knocked out" for a few minutes before recognizing his surroundings. What is the priority assessment when the nurse first sees the client?

Assessment of vital signs and respiratory status

When educating families on fire safety in the home, which information is important for the nurse to emphasize?

Have a meeting place outside the home in case of fire.

Which statement should the nurse include in the education plan regarding safety issues for a group of adult clients?

In most age groups, motor vehicle accidents are major causes of death.

The nurse is educating health care providers on implementation of a hospital disaster plan. What consideration should the nurse prioritize?

Establish the nurse's role during a disaster

A resident of a nursing home keeps trying to get out of bed to use the bathroom, despite having a urinary catheter in place. Which intervention will best preserve this client's safety and could be used as an alternative to restraints?

Investigate the possibility of discontinuing his or her catheter.

The nurse is providing care for an older adult client with a hip fracture utilizing a walker. Which action by the nurse would be the priority?

Place a falls risk bracelet on client

An older adult client with an unsteady gait has been experiencing urinary urgency after being diagnosed with a urinary tract infection. What is the nurse's best action for reducing the client's risk of falls?

Provide a bedside commode and ensure adequate lighting.

What is the primary role of the nurse in the care of clients who experience domestic violence?

Providing prompt recognition of the potential or actual threat to safety

A nurse responds to the call bell and finds another nurse evacuating the client from the room, which has caught fire. Which action should the nurse take?

Pull the fire alarm lever.

A client who was receiving care on a psychiatric unit committed suicide at a time when nurses are known to be handing off to nurses on the next shift. What is a responsibility of the organization when responding to this sentinel event?

Report the event to the Joint Commission.

A nurse is preparing discharge education for a client with a newborn baby. What is the highest priority item that must be included in the education plan?

Restrain the baby in a car seat.

The nurse is teaching the caregiver of a 1-year-old about safety. Which teaching will the nurse include?

Supervise your child on the changing table.

The nurse is caring for an 80-year-old client who was admitted to the hospital in a confused and dehydrated state. After the client got out of bed and fell, restraints were applied. She began to fight and was rapidly becoming exhausted. She has black-and-blue marks on her wrists from the restraints. What would be the most appropriate nursing intervention for this client?

Take the restraints off, stay with her, and talk gently to her.

The nurse is caring for a client who has been prescribed extremity restraints. Which action must be documented by the nurse?

The alternative measures attempted before applying the restraints

The nurse is completing a situational assessment. Which findings would cause the nurse concern? Select all that apply.

The client is wearing the oxygen around the neck. There is spilled water on the floor. The IV is not infusing at the correct rate. The skin is a bluish-color.

What is the most appropriate outcome for the client who has a nursing diagnosis of "Risk for Injury related to the use of assistive mobility devices in an unfamiliar environment?"

The client will demonstrate safety measures to prevent falls.

A nurse was injured when a client with Alzheimer's disease struck the nurse on the side of the head during a transfer. The nurse has completed an incident report. Which statement about an incident report is most accurate?

The report provides a detailed and objective account of the circumstances before, during, and after the event.

Which factor is related to the highest proportion of falls in long-term care settings?

Toileting

The nurse is preparing to discuss safety with a group of parents of infants. When planning the program, which topic would be most important to include?

Use of blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals in the crib

Which topic should a public health nurse emphasize when educating older adults on reducing their risk of poisoning?

keeping medications in clearly labeled containers

During a course on terrorism, a group of emergency room nurses learns about terrorists who use bombs or other explosives to inflict injury on numerous people and cause multiple fatalities. This is an example of:

mass trauma terrorism.

The nurse educator has just completed a lecture regarding older adults and hazards in the home. The nurse educator recognizes that the education was effective when the students state that common dangers in the home setting of an older adult include:

polypharmacy and use of multiple extension cords.

The acronym RACE is commonly taught as a means for remembering priorities for action during a fire. The "A" in this acronym stands for which of the following?

Activate the fire alarm and notify the appropriate person.

A home care nurse provides health education to parents regarding the care of their toddler. Which precaution should the nurse suggest the parents take to protect the toddler from drowning?

Avoid unattended baths for the toddler.

The nurse manager is reviewing the QSEN quality and safety competencies for nurses. Which competencies are included in this initiative? Select all that apply.

Client-centered care Teamwork and collaboration Quality improvement (QI)

A confused client is pulling at the IV line. When considering alternatives to restraints, which nursing intervention would be used first?

Conceal IV tubing with gauze wrap

The nurse considers applying restraints to an agitated client. Which action should the nurse take first?

Dim the lights and speak softly about something the client enjoys.

A school nurse is providing information to a group of older adults during Fire Prevention Week. Which statement is correct regarding fires in the home?

Most people who die in house fires die of smoke inhalation rather than burns.

A nurse is caring for a client who is receiving an intravenous therapy through an IV pump. Which intervention should the nurse implement to ensure electrical safety?

Obtain a three-prong grounded plug adapter.

The telehealth nurse receives a call stating that upon entering a family member's home, two people have been found semi-conscious with a bright cherry red skin color. They are reporting nausea and headache, and are unable to move. Which initial direction will the nurse provide?

Open doors and windows.

The nurse is teaching the caregiver of an adolescent child about safety. Which teaching will the nurse include?

Peer pressure causes children of this age to take risks.

The nurse is providing discharge teaching to the family of an older adult client. Which teaching will the nurse include to decrease the risk for electric shock?

Refrain from using extension cords.

The nurse on a medical-surgical unit notices smoke from a client's room. Upon entering, the nurse notes that the curtain in the room is on fire. What should be the nurse's first action?

Remove the client from the room.

Which reason best explains why adolescents behave in an unsafe manner despite knowledge of a particular activity's risk?

Social pressure

The nurse is teaching the caregiver of an infant about safety. Which teaching will the nurse include?

Supervise your child on the changing table.

A client who is enrolled in Medicare and who has been recovering in the hospital from a stroke has developed a pressure injury on his coccyx, an event that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has identified as a "never event." The nurse should recognize what implication of this CMS designation?

The hospital must bear any costs incurred for treating the client's injury.

Which Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes (KSAs) are nursing actions based on the QSEN competency of quality improvement? Select all that apply.

The nurse manager schedules a meeting of staff to review client outcomes on the hospital ward. The nurse schedules a meeting with the nurse manager to review and update the policies for client admissions. The nurse administrator sets up a committee to review the procedure manual and recommend any needed changes.

Which nurse would be at the highest risk of causing a hazardous situation?

A nurse who has worked 32 hours of overtime this week

A nurse is performing safety assessments in a health care facility. Which statements reflect considerations a nurse should keep in mind when assessing a client for safety? Select all that apply.

A person with a history of falls is likely to fall again. Some people are more at risk for accidents than others. A medication regimen that includes diuretics or analgesics places an individual at risk for falls.

A school nurse is teaching a group of adolescents about safe driving. What behaviors should the nurse encourage in order to help prevent motor vehicle accidents? Select all that apply.

Always wear a seat belt. Limit the number of other adolescents in the car. Never text while driving. Obey the speed limit.

The nurse is assessing a client's mental health competence and decision-making ability. Which activity will best provide the needed information to the nurse?

Ask the client "what if" questions to determine level of thought organization.

A nurse is applying restraints to a confused client who has threatened the safety of a roommate. Which actions would the nurse perform when properly applying restraints to a client? Select all that apply.

Check agency policy for the application of restraints and secure a physician's order. Pad bony prominences. Remove the restraint at least every 2 hours or according to agency policy and client need.

A client is brought to the emergency department after inhaling a substance suspected to be anthrax from the contents of an envelope. What symptoms experienced by the client would the nurse correlate with this substance?

Cough, dyspnea, and fatigue

A health care provider orders extremity restraints for a confused client who is at risk for injury by pulling out her central venous catheter. What is the nurse's most appropriate action when carrying out this order?

Ensure that two fingers can be inserted between the restraint and the client's extremity.

The nurse is caring for a client who has been repetitively pulling at IV lines and the urinary catheter. After other methods of diverting the client's behaviors fail, the health care provider orders chemical restraints. Which treatment does the nurse anticipate?

administration of an antipsychotic agent to alter the client's behavior

A nurse visits an older adult client at home and assesses the safety of the client's environment. Which article can be a threat to the client's safety?

area rugs kept on the stairs without carpet

A 17-year-old is brought to the emergency department with a head injury. The nurse knows that adolescents are vulnerable to injuries related to:

automobile accidents.

The nurse is working at a local elementary school. A mother arrives to pick up her 6-year-old son and has her 2-year-old daughter in tow. Based on the nurse's developmental knowledge of toddlers, which behavior would most concern the nurse?

the 2-year-old leaning against the screen of a window in a classroom

One of the leading causes of death in the United States, particularly in southwestern states, is drowning. How can the nurse assist in lowering this statistic?

Implement drowning prevention strategies.

The unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) tells the nurse that a client is very confused and trying to get out of bed without assistance. What is the appropriate action by the nurse?

Initiate use of a bed alarm.

A client in a long-term care facility has become increasingly unsteady. The nurses are worried that the client will climb out of bed and fall. Which measure would be a priority recommendation for this client?

Placing the client in a bed with a bed alarm

The client is confused and wanders at night at home. The daughter who is the caregiver is seeking assistance with this problem. The daughter states, "I am so worried about my father. What can I do and still get some rest at night?" What instructions would the nurse provide to the daughter? Select all that apply.

Reduce stimulation, noise, and light a few hours prior to bedtime. Provide low lights in the rooms in which her father may wander. Encourage her father to toilet prior to bedtime. Place locks on any doors to the outside that her father would be able to open.

A client has presented to the emergency department after splashing a chemical in the eyes. When managing the injury, what should be included in the plan of care?

Flush the eyes with water for 10 minutes.

The nurse is caring for a young child in the hospital who is being discharged home with his grandmother, who has guardianship. When performing a risk assessment, the nurse identifies that his grandmother has one other adult living with her to help with the child, because the grandmother has congestive heart failure and diabetes mellitus. In addition, the financial situation is poor and she cannot afford to buy safety devices to safety-proof the house. What nursing diagnosis is most appropriate for this child based on these findings?

Risk for Poisoning related to medications in unlocked cabinets

Which action by the unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) requires intervention from the nurse when providing care to an older adult client who is at risk for falls?

provides slippers for ambulation

The nurse is discussing car safety with the mother of a 6-year-old child. The child's mother questions the need for the use of special car seats for her child. What information can be provided to her?

"At the age of 6 your child should be using a booster seat."

A nurse is teaching a community group about bicycle safety. Which statement should be included when creating a teaching plan regarding bicycle safety?

"Parents are effective role models for children when they also wear helmets while riding."

The nurse cares for a client who is postoperative after an abdominal surgery. Which is the most important statement for the nurse to use in teaching this client?

"Use the call bell for any needs and wear nonslip footwear."

The nurse is caring for an adult client on prescribed bed rest who repeatedly attempts to get out of bed despite instructions to remain in bed. Which initial intervention is appropriate?

Assess for the need to urinate.

A child is playing soccer and is involved in a head-to-head collision with another player. Which assessment findings should the nurse be alert to that may indicate a concussion? Select all that apply.

Headache Drowsiness Vomiting

A nurse working in a long-term care facility institutes interventions to prevent falls in the older adult population. Which intervention would be an appropriate alternative to the use of restraints for ensuring client safety and preventing falls?

Involve family members in the client's care.

What is the rationale for health care personnel to orient clients to rooms and equipment when they are admitted to the hospital?

Orienting clients to the surroundings decreases the potential for injury.

The nurse has completed a comprehensive assessment of a client who has been admitted to the hospital experiencing acute withdrawal from alcohol. What nursing diagnosis would provide the clearest justification for the use of physical restraints during this client's care?

Risk for Injury Related to Agitation

The nurse is creating a plan of care for the older adult who has multiple medications and a difficult time reading medication labels due to poor eyesight. What is the most appropriate nursing diagnosis to include in this client's plan of care?

Risk for Poisoning related to poor eyesight and the inability to read medication labels

A father asks the nurse who is caring for his 13-year-old daughter why his daughter could be performing poorly in school lately, and why she is distancing herself from friends and family. Which of these possibilities would the nurse consider as the priority risk?

She may be the victim of cyber-bullying.

The nurse is educating parents of toddlers on how to prevent injuries and promote safety for their children. What are age-appropriate safety interventions for this age group? Select all that apply.

Supervise the child closely to prevent injury. Childproof the house to ensure that poisonous products and small objects are out of reach. Do not leave the child alone in the bathtub or near water.

The nurse is performing an assessment on an older adult. From which data does the nurse deduce that the client is at high risk for falls in the home? Select all that apply.

Takes furosemide daily Admits to drinking wine through the evening Has history of diabetic neuropathy

A nurse is completing an intake assessment. The nurse notes that an older adult male client appears to have bruises in varying stages of healing. Which action by the nurse indicates an understanding of her responsibilities?

The nurse should question the client about the source of the bruises.

A nurse is preparing to file a safety event report after a client experienced a fall. Which statement is correct regarding the filing of a safety event report?

The nurse should record the incident in the client's medical record and fill out a safety event report separately.