A health promotion teaching is focusing on hygiene and the prevention of illness. When instructing clients on how to clean their ears, what action should the nurse recommend?

"Ear candles are a good way to help remove impacted cerumen."

"You should gently irrigate with normal saline."

"Wash the pinna of your ear with a warm, moist washcloth."

"If you note fullness in your ear, try to remove the impaction with a cotton swab."

Answer and Explanation

The Correct Answer is C

Choice A reason: Ear candles are unsafe, risking burns or wax deeper in the canal. They don’t effectively remove cerumen and can perforate the eardrum, contradicting evidence-based hygiene practices for preventing ear infections or blockages entirely in this context.

Choice B reason: Irrigation with saline is for impacted cerumen, not routine hygiene. It’s a clinical procedure, not a daily prevention measure, and risks pushing wax further or damaging the canal if done improperly, making it less suitable here.

Choice C reason: Washing the pinna with a warm, moist washcloth safely cleans the outer ear, preventing debris buildup without risking the canal or eardrum. This simple, effective hygiene step aligns with illness prevention goals for routine ear care perfectly.

Choice D reason: Cotton swabs can push cerumen deeper, causing impaction or eardrum perforation. This unsafe practice increases infection risk, opposing hygiene goals, and is widely discouraged in favor of external cleaning for safe ear maintenance consistently.

Nursing Test Bank

Quiz #1: RN Exams Pharmacology Exams Quiz #2: RN Exams Medical-Surgical Exams Quiz #3: RN Exams Fundamentals Exams Quiz #4: RN Exams Maternal-Newborn Exams Quiz #5: RN Exams Anatomy and Physiology Exams Quiz #6: RN Exams Obstetrics and Pediatrics Exams Quiz #7: RN Exams Fluid and Electrolytes Exams Quiz #8: RN Exams Community Health Exams Quiz #9: RN Exams Promoting Health across the lifespan Exams Quiz #10: RN Exams Multidimensional care Exams

Get 100+ Naxlex Exit Exams for $79 Try Naxlex NCLEX-RN (14 Day Free-Trial)

Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams

Quiz #1: Naxlex RN Comprehensive online practice 2019 B with NGN Quiz #2: Naxlex RN Comprehensive Predictor 2023 Quiz #3: Naxlex RN Comprehensive Predictor 2023 Exit Exam A Quiz #4: Naxlex HESI Exit LPN Exam Quiz #5: Naxlex PN Comprehensive Predictor PN 2020 Quiz #6: Naxlex VATI PN Comprehensive Predictor 2020 Quiz #8: Naxlex PN Comprehensive Predictor 2023 - Exam 1 Quiz #10: Naxlex HESI PN Exit exam Quiz #11: Naxlex HESI PN EXIT Exam 2

Free Nursing Study Resources

Correct Answer is C

Explanation

Choice A reason: Morphine treats severe pain but isn’t first-line for headaches worsened by coughing, which may signal increased intracranial pressure. Without neurological assessment, this risks masking symptoms of serious conditions like brain tumors, delaying critical diagnosis and intervention.

Choice B reason: Palpating occipital lymph nodes checks for infection or inflammation, but headaches worsened by coughing or sneezing suggest intracranial issues, not lymphatic ones. This action misses the priority of assessing brain function tied to the client’s specific symptom pattern.

Choice C reason: Neurological assessment, like checking reflexes or pupil response, is vital for morning headaches worsening with coughing, hinting at possible intracranial pressure from masses or bleeds. It’s the most direct step to rule out life-threatening causes promptly.

Choice D reason: Explaining migraines assumes a diagnosis without evidence. Morning headaches improving later, worsened by strain, don’t align with typical migraine patterns, risking misdiagnosis of serious conditions like sinus thrombosis, necessitating neurological evaluation over premature reassurance.

A. Trigeminal neuralgia B. Meningitis C. Migraine headache D. Temporomandibular joint dysfunction

Correct Answer is A

Explanation

Choice A reason: Trigeminal neuralgia causes sharp, intermittent facial pain lasting minutes due to cranial nerve V irritation. Normal vitals and no systemic symptoms align with this neuropathic condition, distinguishing it from inflammatory or vascular headache causes in this presentation.

Choice B reason: Meningitis presents with fever, neck stiffness, and severe headache, not intermittent facial pain. Normal temperature and vitals here rule out this acute infection, which affects meninges broadly, not just facial nerves, making it an unlikely fit.

Choice C reason: Migraines involve throbbing head pain, often with nausea or photophobia, lasting hours, not minutes of facial pain. The client’s brief, episodic description and normal vitals don’t match migraine’s typical systemic or prolonged profile, excluding it here.

Choice D reason: TMJ dysfunction causes jaw pain, often with chewing difficulty or joint sounds, not intermittent facial pain alone. Normal vitals and no joint-specific complaints suggest this isn’t TMJ-related, pointing instead to a neural origin like trigeminal neuralgia.

View Question and Answer

Whether you are a student looking to ace your exams or a practicing nurse seeking to enhance your expertise , our nursing education contents will empower you with the confidence and competence to make a difference in the lives of patients and become a respected leader in the healthcare field.

Visit Naxlex, invest in your future and unlock endless possibilities with our unparalleled nursing education contents today

A health promotion teaching is focusing on hygiene and the prevention of illness. When instructing clients on how to clean their ears, what action should the nurse recommend?

Nursing Test Bank

Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams

A client comes in with complaints of a headache. The client states, "I always wake up with a headache in the morning, but it gets better in a couple hours. I notice that it always gets worse if I cough or sneeze." What action by the nurse is most appropriate?

Correct Answer is C

Explanation

Correct Answer is A

Explanation

The nurse assesses thick, white plaques on a client's tongue and hard palate. Which of the following nursing actions should the nurse do next?

An older adult client has been admitted due to decreased cognition. What assessment finding is most suggestive of delirium as the cause of the client's cognitive impairment?

A nurse is providing a subjective data assessment for an older female. The client verbalizes a list of symptoms regarding their concern. Which findings would lead the nurse to supply education about menopause?

The nurse has placed her hands behind the client's head and flexed his neck forward as far as he can tolerate. During the test the client experiences leg pain and bends his knees. In addition, he complains of neck pain. This assessment finding is suggestive of what health problem?

The nurse is conducting a focused neurologic assessment on an 81-year-old client. What finding below is an age-related neurologic change?

When performing a genitourinary assessment of an older male patient, the nurse notes that the urethral meatus is positioned dorsally. What is the most important concern the nurse identifies from their assessment?