BRUNNER & SUDDARTH CH 47 - MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS
WITH INTESTINAL AND RECTAL DISORDERS QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 2022
A nurse is working with a patient
... [Show More] who has chronic constipation. What should be
included in patient teaching to promote normal bowel function?
A) Use glycerin suppositories on a regular basis.
B) Limit physical activity in order to promote bowel peristalsis.
C) Consume high-residue, high-fiber foods.
D) Resist the urge to defecate until the urge becomes intense. - Ans: C) Consume
high-residue, high fiber foods
Feedback:
Goals for the patient include restoring or maintaining a regular pattern of elimination
by responding to the urge to defecate, ensuring adequate intake of fluids and highfiber foods, learning about methods to avoid constipation, relieving anxiety about
bowel elimination patterns, and avoiding complications. Ongoing use of
pharmacologic aids should not be promoted, due to the risk of dependence.
Increased mobility helps to maintain a regular pattern of elimination. The urge to
defecate should be heeded.
A nurse is preparing to provide care for a patient whose exacerbation of ulcerative
colitis has required hospital admission. During an exacerbation of this health
problem, the nurse would anticipate that the patients stools will have what
characteristics?
A) Watery with blood and mucus
B) Hard and black or tarry
C) Dry and streaked with blood
D) Loose with visible fatty streaks - Ans: A) Watery with blood and mucus
Feedback:
The predominant symptoms of ulcerative colitis are diarrhea and abdominal pain.
Stools may be bloody and contain mucus. Stools are not hard, dry, tarry, black or
fatty in patients who have ulcerative colitis.
A patient has had an ileostomy created for the treatment of irritable bowel disease
and the patient is now preparing for discharge. What should the patient be taught
about changing this device in the home setting?
A) Apply antibiotic ointment as ordered after cleaning the stoma.
B) Apply a skin barrier to the peristomal skin prior to applying the pouch.
C) Dispose of the clamp with each bag change.
D) Cleanse the area surrounding the stoma with alcohol or chlorhexidine. - Ans: B)
Apply a skin barrier to the peristomal skin prior to applying the pouch
Feedback:
Guidelines for changing an ileostomy appliance are as follows. Skin should be
washed with soap and water, and dried. A skin barrier should be applied to the
peristomal skin prior to applying the pouch. Clamps are supplied one per box and
should be reused with each bag change. Topical antibiotics are not utilized, but an
antifungal spray or powder may be used.
A patient admitted with acute diverticulitis has experienced a sudden increase in
temperature and complains of a sudden onset of exquisite abdominal tenderness.
The nurses rapid assessment reveals that the patients abdomen is
uncharacteristically rigid on palpation. What is the nurses best response?
A) Administer a Fleet enema as ordered and remain with the patient.
B) Contact the primary care provider promptly and report these signs of perforation.
C) Position the patient supine and insert an NG tube.
D) Page the primary care provider and report that the patient may be obstructed. -
Ans: B) Contact the primary care provider promptly and report these signs of
perforation
Feedback:
The patients change in status is suggestive of perforation, which is a surgical
emergency. Obstruction does not have this presentation involving fever and
abdominal rigidity. An enema would be strongly contraindicated. An order is needed
for NG insertion and repositioning is not a priority.
A 35-year-old male patient presents at the emergency department with symptoms of
a small bowel obstruction. In collaboration with the primary care provider, what
intervention should the nurse prioritize?
A) Insertion of a nasogastric tube
B) Insertion of a central venous catheter
C) Administration of a mineral oil enema
D) Administration of a glycerin suppository and an oral laxative - Ans: A) Insertion of
a nasogastric tube
Feedback:
Decompression of the bowel through a nasogastric tube is necessary for all patients
with small bowel obstruction. Peripheral IV access is normally sufficient. Enemas,
suppositories, and laxatives are not indicated if an obstruction is present.
A patient admitted with inflammatory bowel disease asks the nurse for help with
menu selections. What menu selection is most likely the best choice for this patient?
A) Spinach
B) Tofu
C) Multigrain bagel
D) Blueberries - Ans: B) Tofu
Feedback:
Nutritional management of inflammatory bowel disease requires ingestion of a diet
that is bland, low-residue, high-protein, and high-vitamin. Tofu meets each of the
criteria. Spinach, multigrain bagels, and blueberries are not low-residue.
A patient is admitted to the medical unit with a diagnosis of intestinal obstruction.
When planning this patients care, which of the following nursing diagnoses should
the nurse prioritize?
A) Ineffective Tissue Perfusion Related to Bowel Ischemia
B) Imbalanced Nutrition: Less Than Body Requirements Related to Impaired
Absorption
C) Anxiety Related to Bowel Obstruction and Subsequent Hospitalization
D) Impaired Skin Integrity Related to Bowel Obstruction - Ans: A) Ineffective Tissue
Perfusion Related to Bowel Ischemia
Feedback:
When the bowel is completely obstructed, the possibility of strangulation and tissue
necrosis (i.e., tissue death) warrants surgical intervention. As such, this immediate
physiologic need is a nursing priority. Nutritional support and management of anxiety
are necessary, but bowel ischemia is a more immediate threat. Skin integrity is not
threatened.
A nurse is presenting an educational event to a local community group. When
speaking about colorectal cancer, what risk factor should the nurse cite?
A) High levels of alcohol consumption
B) History of bowel obstruction
C) History of diverticulitis
D) Longstanding psychosocial stress - Ans: A) High levels of alcohol consumption
Feedback:
Risk factors include high alcohol intake; cigarette smoking; and high-fact, highprotein, low-fiber diet. Diverticulitis, obstruction, and stress are not noted as risk
factors for colorectal cancer.
A patients screening colonoscopy revealed the presence of numerous polyps in the
large bowel. What principle should guide the subsequent treatment of this patients
health problem? CONTINUES... [Show Less]