Question: A basic level registered nurse works with patients in a community setting. Which groups should this nurse expect to lead? (Select all that apply.)
Answer Options: Symptom management Medication education Family therapy Psychotherapy Self-care Correct Answer: Symptom management Medication education Self-care
Question: A patient states, “I’m starting cognitive behavioral therapy. What can I expect from the sessions?” Which responses by the nurse are appropriate? (Select all that apply.)
Answer Options: “The therapist will be active and questioning.” “You may be given homework assignments.” “The therapist will ask you to describe your dreams.” “The therapist will help you look at ideas and beliefs you have about yourself.” “The goal is to increase your subjectivity about thoughts that govern your behavior.” Correct Answer: “The therapist will be active and questioning.” “You may be given homework assignments.” “The therapist will help you look at ideas and beliefs you have about yourself.”
Question: A patient asks a nurse, “What are neurotransmitters? My doctor says mine are out of balance.” What is the nurse’s best response?
Answer Options: “You must feel relieved to know that your problem has a physical basis.” “Neurotransmitters are chemicals that pass messages between brain cells.” “It is a high-level concept to explain. You should ask the doctor to tell you more.” “Neurotransmitters are substances we eat daily that influence memory and mood.” Correct Answer: “Neurotransmitters are chemicals that pass messages between brain cells.”
Question: The parent of an adolescent diagnosed with schizophrenia asks a nurse, “My child’s doctor has ordered a position-emission tomography (PET) scan. What is that?” What is the nurse’s best response?
Answer Options: “PET uses your child’s blood to obtain baseline genetic information.” “It’s a special type of x-ray image that shows structures of the brain and whether a brain injury has ever occurred.” “PET is a scan that passes an electrical current through the brain and shows brain wave activity. PET can help diagnose seizures.” “PET is a special scan that shows blood flow and activity in the brain.” Correct Answer: “PET is a special scan that shows blood flow and activity in the brain.”
Question: A patient is demonstrating signs of dementia. The health care provider wants to make a differential diagnosis between Alzheimer’s disease and multiple infarctions. Which diagnostic procedure should a nurse expect to prepare the patient for first?
Answer Options: Computed tomography (CT) scan Positron emission tomography (PET) scan Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scan Correct Answer: Computed tomography (CT) scan
Question: A patient has delusions and hallucinations. Before beginning treatment with a psychotropic medication, the health care provider wants to rule out the presence of a brain tumor. For which test will a nurse need to prepare the patient?
Answer Options: Cerebral arteriogram Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) Computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) Positron emission tomography (PET) or single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) Correct Answer: Computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Question: The nurse wants to assess for disturbances in circadian rhythms in a patient admitted for major depression. Which question is most relevant to this assessment?
Answer Options: “Have you ever seen or heard things that others do not?” “Do you have problems with short-term memory?” “How would you describe your sleep pattern?” “How would you describe your thinking?” Correct Answer: “How would you describe your sleep pattern?”
Question: A nurse administers a hypnotic medication that potentiates the action of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Which finding would be expected?
Answer Options: Reduced anxiety Improved memory More organized thinking Fewer sensory perceptual alterations Correct Answer: Reduced anxiety
Question: On the basis of current knowledge of neurotransmitter effects, a nurse anticipates that the treatment plan for a patient with memory difficulties may include medications designed to do what?
Answer Options: Inhibit GABA production. Increase dopamine sensitivity. Decrease dopamine at receptor sites. Prevent destruction of acetylcholine. Correct Answer: Prevent destruction of acetylcholine.
Question: A patient demonstrates disorganized thinking associated related to a diagnosis of schizophrenia. A functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan would likely show dysfunction in which part of the brain?
Answer Options: Brainstem Cerebellum Temporal lobe Prefrontal cortex Correct Answer: Prefrontal cortex
Question: A nurse should assess a patient taking a medication with anticholinergic properties for inhibition of what function?
Answer Options: Parasympathetic nervous system Sympathetic nervous system Reticular activating system Medulla oblongata Correct Answer: Parasympathetic nervous system
Question: The therapeutic action of monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) blocks neurotransmitter reuptake, causing what effect?
Answer Options: Increased concentration of neurotransmitters in the synaptic gap Decreased concentration of neurotransmitters in serum Destruction of receptor sites Limbic system stimulation Correct Answer: Increased concentration of neurotransmitters in the synaptic gap
Question: A patient taking an antipsychotic medication develops restlessness and an uncontrollable need to be moving. A nurse can correctly analyze that these symptoms are related to which drug effect?
Answer Options: Anticholinergic effects Dopamine-blocking effects Endocrine-stimulating effects Ability to stimulate spinal nerves Correct Answer: Dopamine-blocking effects
Question: A patient presents with anxiety, increased heart rate, and fear. The nurse would suspect the presence of a high concentration of which neurotransmitter?
Answer Options: GABA Histamine Acetylcholine Norepinephrine Correct Answer: Norepinephrine
Question: A patient reports symptoms of acute anxiety related to the death of a parent in an automobile accident 2 hours earlier. The nurse should anticipate administering a medication from which group for a short-term therapy?
Answer Options: Tricyclic antidepressants Atypical antipsychotics Anticonvulsants Benzodiazepines Correct Answer: Benzodiazepines
Question: A patient is hospitalized for major depressive disorder. A nurse can expect to likely provide teaching about which medication?
Answer Options: Lithium Fluoxetine Clozapine Tacrine Correct Answer: Fluoxetine
Question: A patient hospitalized with a mood disorder has demonstrated aggression, agitation, talkativeness, and irritability. A nurse begins the care plan based on the expectation that the health care provider is most likely to prescribe a medication from what classification?
Answer Options: Anticholinergic Mood stabilizer Psychostimulant Tricyclic antidepressant Correct Answer: Mood stabilizer
Question: A patient prescribed a muscarinic-receptor blocker will require assessment for what side effect?
Answer Options: Dry mouth Gynecomastia Pseudoparkinsonism Orthostatic hypotension Correct Answer: Dry mouth