A nurse in an emergency department receives report from an emergency responder who states a client is being transported following exposure to a "dirty bomb". The nurse should prepare to care for a client that has been exposed to which of the following types of agents?

Rationale:

A. A client who is alert and oriented makes an informed decision to leave the hospital against medical advice. The nurse applies restraints to the client to prevent him from leaving constitutes a violation of patient autonomy and could be considered false imprisonment rather than negligence.

B. A nurse identifies the absence of peripheral pulsation in a casted extremity in the early morning and reports it to the provider in the early afternoon might be considered a delay in care but does not necessarily meet the criteria for negligence unless it leads to harm.

C. A client who is competent refuses an antidepressant medication. The nurse dissolves the medication in food and administers it to her without her knowledge is an example of negligence as it violates the client’s autonomy and informed consent.

D. A nurse finds a client who is on a low-sodium diet eating salted potato chips. The nurse tells the client that she will apply wrist restraints if he does not stop eating the potato chips is inappropriate but does not specifically represent negligence; it’s more about improper behavior or coercion.

Rationale:

A. A child who is experiencing sickle cell crisis may require isolation to prevent infection and avoid complications related to sickle cell disease.

B. A child who has a head injury may require specific monitoring and precautions that are not suitable for a postoperative appendectomy patient.

C. A child who has a new diagnosis of type 1 diabetes mellitus generally has a stable condition that can be managed with routine care and would be an appropriate roommate for a postoperative appendectomy patient.

D. A child who has streptococcal pharyngitis could pose an infection risk to the postoperative appendectomy patient and is better kept separate to prevent the spread of infection.