Brooks Exam #1 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Ch 2 - The nurse is caring for an Asian patient who is being admitted to the
hospital. Which action would be most appropriate for the nurse to take when
interviewing this patient?
a. Avoid eye contact with the patient.
b. Observe the patients use of eye contact.
c. Look directly at the patient when interacting.
d. Ask a family member about the patients cultural beliefs.
ANS: B
Observation of the patients use of eye contact will be most useful in determining the
best way to communicate effectively with the patient. Looking directly at the patient or
avoiding eye contact may be appropriate, depending on the patients individual cultural
beliefs. The nurse should assess the patient, rather than asking family members about
the patients beliefs.
Ch 2 - A staff nurse expresses frustration that a Native American patient always
has several family members at the bedside. Which action by the charge nurse is
most appropriate?
a. Remind the nurse that family support is important to this family and patient.
b. Have the nurse explain to the family that too many visitors will tire the patient.
c. Suggest that the nurse ask family members to leave the room during patient
care.
d. Ask about the nurses personal beliefs about family support during
hospitalization.
,ANS: D
The first step in providing culturally competent care is to understand ones own beliefs
and values related to health and health care. Asking the nurse about personal beliefs
will help achieve this step. Reminding the nurse that this cultural practice is important to
the family and patient will not decrease the nurses frustration. The remaining responses
(suggest that the nurse ask family members to leave the room, and have the nurse
explain to family that too many visitors will tire the patient) are not culturally appropriate
for this patient.
Ch. 2 - The nurse plans health care for a community with a large number of recent
immigrants from Vietnam.
Which intervention is the most important for the nurse to implement?
a. Hepatitis testing
b. Tuberculosis screening
c. Contraceptive teaching
d. Colonoscopy information
ANS: B
Tuberculosis (TB) is endemic in many parts of Asia, and the incidence of TB is much
higher in immigrants from Vietnam than in the general U.S. population. Teaching about
contraceptive use, colonoscopy, and testing for hepatitis may also be appropriate for
some patients but is not generally indicated for all members of this community.
Ch 2 - Which strategy should be a priority when the nurse is planning care for a
diabetic patient who is uninsured?
a. Obtain less expensive medications.
b. Follow evidence-based practice guidelines.
c. Assist with dietary changes as the first action.
d. Teach about the impact of exercise on diabetes.
ANS: B
The use of standardized evidence-based guidelines will reduce the incidence of health
care disparities among various socioeconomic groups. The other strategies may also be
,appropriate, but the priority concern should be that the patient receives care that meets
the accepted standard.
Ch 2 - A Hispanic patient complains of abdominal cramping caused by empacho.
Which action should the nurse take first?
a. Ask the patient what treatments are likely to help.
b. Massage the patients abdomen until the pain is gone.
c. Administer prescribed medications to decrease the cramping.
d. Offer to contact a curandero(a) to make a visit to the
ANS: A
Further assessment of the patients cultural beliefs is appropriate before implementing
any interventions for a culture-bound syndrome such as empacho. Although medication,
a visit by a curandero(a), or massage may be helpful, more information about the
patients beliefs is needed to determine which intervention(s) will be most helpful.
Ch 2 - The nurse working in a clinic in a primarily African American community
notes a higher incidence of uncontrolled hypertension in the patients. To correct
this health disparity, which action should the nurse take first?
a. Initiate a regular home-visit program by nurses working at the clinic.
b. Schedule teaching sessions about low-salt diets at community events.
c. Assess the perceptions of community members about the care at the clinic.
d. Obtain low-cost antihypertensive drugs using funding from government grants
ANS: C
Before other actions are taken, additional assessment data are needed to determine the
reason for the disparity.
The other actions also may be appropriate, but additional assessment is needed before
the next action is selected.
Ch 12 - The nurse is performing an admission assessment for a non-English
speaking patient who is from China.
Which actions could the nurse take to enhance communication (select all that
apply)?
, a. Use an electronic translation application.
b. Use a telephone-based medical interpreter.
c. Wait until an agency interpreter is available.
d. Ask the patients teenage daughter to interpret.
e. Use exaggerated gestures to convey information.
ANS: A, B, C
Electronic translation applications, telephone-based interpreters, and agency
interpreters are all appropriate to use to communicate with nonEnglish-speaking
patients. When no interpreter is available, family members may be considered, but
some information that will be needed in an admission assessment may be
misunderstood or not shared if a child is used as the interpreter. Gestures are
appropriate to use, but exaggeration of the gestures is not needed.
Ch 5 - When caring for an older patient with hypertension who has been
hospitalized after a transient ischemic
(TIA), which topic is the most important for the nurse to include in the discharge
teaching?
a. Effect of atherosclerosis on blood vessels
b. Mechanism of action of anticoagulant drug therapy
c. Symptoms indicating that the patient should contact the health care provider
d. Impact of the patients family history on likelihood of developing a serious
stroke
ANS: C
One of the tasks for patients with chronic illnesses is to prevent and manage a crisis.
The patient needs instruction on recognition of symptoms of hypertension and TIA and
appropriate actions to take if these symptoms occur. The other information also may be
included in patient teaching but is not as essential in the patients self-management of
the illness.
Ch 5 - The nurse performs a comprehensive geriatric assessment of a patient
who is being assessed for admission to an assisted living facility. Which question
Ch 2 - The nurse is caring for an Asian patient who is being admitted to the
hospital. Which action would be most appropriate for the nurse to take when
interviewing this patient?
a. Avoid eye contact with the patient.
b. Observe the patients use of eye contact.
c. Look directly at the patient when interacting.
d. Ask a family member about the patients cultural beliefs.
ANS: B
Observation of the patients use of eye contact will be most useful in determining the
best way to communicate effectively with the patient. Looking directly at the patient or
avoiding eye contact may be appropriate, depending on the patients individual cultural
beliefs. The nurse should assess the patient, rather than asking family members about
the patients beliefs.
Ch 2 - A staff nurse expresses frustration that a Native American patient always
has several family members at the bedside. Which action by the charge nurse is
most appropriate?
a. Remind the nurse that family support is important to this family and patient.
b. Have the nurse explain to the family that too many visitors will tire the patient.
c. Suggest that the nurse ask family members to leave the room during patient
care.
d. Ask about the nurses personal beliefs about family support during
hospitalization.
,ANS: D
The first step in providing culturally competent care is to understand ones own beliefs
and values related to health and health care. Asking the nurse about personal beliefs
will help achieve this step. Reminding the nurse that this cultural practice is important to
the family and patient will not decrease the nurses frustration. The remaining responses
(suggest that the nurse ask family members to leave the room, and have the nurse
explain to family that too many visitors will tire the patient) are not culturally appropriate
for this patient.
Ch. 2 - The nurse plans health care for a community with a large number of recent
immigrants from Vietnam.
Which intervention is the most important for the nurse to implement?
a. Hepatitis testing
b. Tuberculosis screening
c. Contraceptive teaching
d. Colonoscopy information
ANS: B
Tuberculosis (TB) is endemic in many parts of Asia, and the incidence of TB is much
higher in immigrants from Vietnam than in the general U.S. population. Teaching about
contraceptive use, colonoscopy, and testing for hepatitis may also be appropriate for
some patients but is not generally indicated for all members of this community.
Ch 2 - Which strategy should be a priority when the nurse is planning care for a
diabetic patient who is uninsured?
a. Obtain less expensive medications.
b. Follow evidence-based practice guidelines.
c. Assist with dietary changes as the first action.
d. Teach about the impact of exercise on diabetes.
ANS: B
The use of standardized evidence-based guidelines will reduce the incidence of health
care disparities among various socioeconomic groups. The other strategies may also be
,appropriate, but the priority concern should be that the patient receives care that meets
the accepted standard.
Ch 2 - A Hispanic patient complains of abdominal cramping caused by empacho.
Which action should the nurse take first?
a. Ask the patient what treatments are likely to help.
b. Massage the patients abdomen until the pain is gone.
c. Administer prescribed medications to decrease the cramping.
d. Offer to contact a curandero(a) to make a visit to the
ANS: A
Further assessment of the patients cultural beliefs is appropriate before implementing
any interventions for a culture-bound syndrome such as empacho. Although medication,
a visit by a curandero(a), or massage may be helpful, more information about the
patients beliefs is needed to determine which intervention(s) will be most helpful.
Ch 2 - The nurse working in a clinic in a primarily African American community
notes a higher incidence of uncontrolled hypertension in the patients. To correct
this health disparity, which action should the nurse take first?
a. Initiate a regular home-visit program by nurses working at the clinic.
b. Schedule teaching sessions about low-salt diets at community events.
c. Assess the perceptions of community members about the care at the clinic.
d. Obtain low-cost antihypertensive drugs using funding from government grants
ANS: C
Before other actions are taken, additional assessment data are needed to determine the
reason for the disparity.
The other actions also may be appropriate, but additional assessment is needed before
the next action is selected.
Ch 12 - The nurse is performing an admission assessment for a non-English
speaking patient who is from China.
Which actions could the nurse take to enhance communication (select all that
apply)?
, a. Use an electronic translation application.
b. Use a telephone-based medical interpreter.
c. Wait until an agency interpreter is available.
d. Ask the patients teenage daughter to interpret.
e. Use exaggerated gestures to convey information.
ANS: A, B, C
Electronic translation applications, telephone-based interpreters, and agency
interpreters are all appropriate to use to communicate with nonEnglish-speaking
patients. When no interpreter is available, family members may be considered, but
some information that will be needed in an admission assessment may be
misunderstood or not shared if a child is used as the interpreter. Gestures are
appropriate to use, but exaggeration of the gestures is not needed.
Ch 5 - When caring for an older patient with hypertension who has been
hospitalized after a transient ischemic
(TIA), which topic is the most important for the nurse to include in the discharge
teaching?
a. Effect of atherosclerosis on blood vessels
b. Mechanism of action of anticoagulant drug therapy
c. Symptoms indicating that the patient should contact the health care provider
d. Impact of the patients family history on likelihood of developing a serious
stroke
ANS: C
One of the tasks for patients with chronic illnesses is to prevent and manage a crisis.
The patient needs instruction on recognition of symptoms of hypertension and TIA and
appropriate actions to take if these symptoms occur. The other information also may be
included in patient teaching but is not as essential in the patients self-management of
the illness.
Ch 5 - The nurse performs a comprehensive geriatric assessment of a patient
who is being assessed for admission to an assisted living facility. Which question
