Immune System Dysfunction

When preparing a client with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) for discharge to home, the nurse should be sure to include which instruction?

"Avoid sharing such articles as toothbrushes and razors."

A nurse works in an employee health department of a hospital. She was asked to treat a staff nurse who was exposed to blood from a patient with an HIV infection. The nurse practitioner instituted a PEP protocol that includes which of the following actions? Select all that apply.

Continue HIV medications for 4 weeks post-exposure. Initiate post-exposure testing after 4 weeks. Finish post-exposure testing at 6 months.

A public health nurse is preparing an educational campaign to address a recent local increase in the incidence of HIV infection. The nurse should prioritize what intervention?

Educational programs that focus on control and prevention

Since the emergence of HIV/AIDS, there have been significant changes in epidemiologic trends. Members of what group currently have the greatest risk of contracting HIV?

Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men

A clinic nurse is caring for a client admitted with AIDS. The nurse has assessed that the client is experiencing a progressive decline in cognitive, behavioral, and motor functions. The nurse recognizes that these symptoms are most likely related to the onset of what complication?

HIV encephalopathy

You are caring for a client diagnosed with HIV. The client wants to know when they will be started on medication for their disease. What would be the nurse's best response?

If the client has a CD4 T-cell count less than 350 cells/mm3.

A patient with AIDS is having a recurrence of 10 to 12 loose stools a day. What medication may help this patient with controlling the chronic diarrhea?

Octreotide (Sandostatin)

A nurse is completing a nutritional status of a client who has been admitted with AIDS-related complications. What components should the nurse include in this assessment? Select all that apply.

Serum albumin level Weight history Body mass index Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level

A nursing student assists a registered nurse to admit a client with a primary immunodeficiency. The nurse explains to the student that primary immunodeficiencies predispose people to three conditions. Which of the following three are those conditions?

Severe infections Autoimmunity Cancer

A new nursing graduate is working at the hospital in the medical-surgical unit. The preceptor observes the nurse emptying a patient's wound drain without gloves on. What important information should the preceptor share with the new graduate about standard precautions?

Standard precautions should be used with all patients to reduce the risk of transmission of bloodborne pathogens.

Which tests tell the physician what the viral load is in a client with HIV/AIDS? Select all that apply.

polymerase chain reaction p24 antigen test

A nurse is assessing a client with HIV who has been admitted with pneumonia. In assessing the client, which of the following observations takes immediate priority?

tachypnea and restlessness

A patient develops gastrointestinal bleeding from a gastric ulcer and requires blood transfusions. The patient states to the nurse, "I am not going to have a transfusion because I don't want to get AIDS." What is the best response by the nurse?

"I understand your concern. The blood is screened very carefully for different viruses as well as HIV."

A 16-year-old has come to the clinic and asks to talk to a nurse. The teen states that she has become sexually active and is concerned about getting HIV. The teen asks the nurse what she can do to keep from getting HIV. What would be the nurse's best response?

"Other than abstinence, only the consistent and correct use of condoms is effective in preventing HIV."

A client who has been exposed to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) tests negative. Which explanation by the nurse would be most appropriate?

"Your body may not have developed antibodies yet, so we need to follow up."

A nurse is working with a client who was diagnosed with HIV several months earlier. This client will be considered to have AIDS when the CD4+ T-lymphocyte cell count drops below what threshold?

200 cells/mm3 of blood

A client with AIDS comes to the clinic reporting difficulty swallowing. He says, "It hurts so much when I swallow." Inspection reveals creamy white patches in the client's mouth. Which of the following would the nurse suspect?

Candidiasis

As part of HAART therapy, a client is prescribed a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI). Which of the following would be an example of a drug from this class? Select all that apply.

Delavirdine Efavirenz

During a routine checkup, a nurse assesses a client with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) for signs and symptoms of cancer. What is the most common AIDS-related cancer?

Kaposi's sarcoma

The nurse is teaching the client with HIV about therapy. Which elements are essential for the nurse to include in the teaching plan? Select all that apply.

The CD4 count is the major indicator of immune function and guides therapy. Antiretroviral therapy targets different stages of the HIV life cycle.