(ATI/HESI MCQ) Which laboratory test is useful in confirming the diagnosis of chickenpox?

Choice A rationale:

Monitoring vital signs, pain level, and neurological status is important to assess the client's overall condition and response to treatment.

Choice B rationale:

Isolating the patient until all lesions are crusted over is not necessary for shingles, as it is not as highly contagious as chickenpox.

Choice C rationale:

Educating the patient and family about the disease process is essential to help them understand the condition, its course, and the necessary measures for management and prevention of complications.

Choice D rationale:

Encouraging oral hygiene and a soft diet is important, especially if the patient has oral lesions, to promote comfort and prevent secondary infections.

Choice E rationale:

Administering medications as prescribed, such as antiviral medications, can help reduce the severity and duration of the shingles outbreak.

Choice A rationale:

Stating that "chickenpox is not contagious once the fever is gone" is incorrect information. Chickenpox is still contagious until all the lesions are crusted over.

Choice B rationale:

The statement "You can spread the virus by scratching the lesions" is accurate. Scratching the chickenpox lesions can cause the fluid from the blisters to be released, and this fluid contains the varicella-zoster virus, which can then infect others.

Choice C rationale:

Stating that "chickenpox can only be transmitted through respiratory droplets" is incorrect. While respiratory droplets are a common mode of transmission, direct contact with the fluid from the lesions is also a significant mode of transmission.

Choice D rationale:

Saying that "the virus can survive on surfaces for up to 24 hours" is incorrect. The varicella-zoster virus is relatively fragile and cannot survive for extended periods on surfaces outside the body. It is primarily transmitted through direct contact or respiratory droplets.