Registered Nurse: Reduction of Risk Potential Flashcards
7 cards from real RN practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Registered Nurse: Reduction of Risk Potential flashcards as text
A nurse receives handoff for a patient on heparin infusion. The aPTT result is 120 seconds (therapeutic range 60-100 seconds). What is the nurse's priority action?
Answer: Stop or reduce the infusion per protocol and notify the provider
An aPTT above the therapeutic range indicates supratherapeutic anticoagulation, requiring rate reduction or cessation per protocol and provider notification.
Which assessment finding in a post-thyroidectomy patient requires the nurse to immediately notify the provider?
Answer: Positive Chvostek's sign
A positive Chvostek's sign indicates hypocalcemia from inadvertent parathyroid gland damage, which can lead to life-threatening tetany.
A nurse is performing a neurological assessment on a patient with a head injury. Which finding indicates a deteriorating neurological status?
Answer: GCS score decreasing from 14 to 11 over 2 hours
A declining GCS score indicates worsening neurological function and requires immediate provider notification.
A nurse is preparing to administer a high-alert medication. Which safety measure is most important before administration?
Answer: Having a second nurse perform an independent double-check
An independent double-check by a second nurse is the key safety strategy for high-alert medications to catch errors before they reach the patient.
A patient with a PICC line develops redness and warmth along the vessel pathway proximal to the insertion site. Which action should the nurse take first?
Answer: Notify the provider and prepare to discontinue the line
These signs indicate phlebitis or thrombophlebitis; the nurse should notify the provider, as the PICC line may need to be removed.
A nurse is preparing a patient for a lumbar puncture. Which position should the nurse help the patient assume?
Answer: Lateral recumbent with spine flexed and knees drawn to chest
The lateral recumbent (fetal) position with the spine flexed maximizes intervertebral space to facilitate needle insertion.
A patient develops stridor and urticaria five minutes after receiving IV penicillin. Which medication should the nurse administer first?
Answer: Epinephrine 0.3 mg IM
Epinephrine IM is the first-line treatment for anaphylaxis because it rapidly reverses bronchospasm and hypotension.