The nurse has completed the assessment of the client's ears. A small/moderate amount of brown cerumen was found in both ears. Which action by the nurse is warranted?
Assess for further signs of infection
Document this normal finding
Set up a teaching session regarding ear hygiene
Make a note on the chart so the clinician can order ear drops
The Correct Answer is B
Choice A reason: Small/moderate brown cerumen is normal, not a sign of infection, which shows pus or redness. Assessing further wastes effort, as cerumen protects the canal, and no symptoms like pain or hearing loss suggest pathology here requiring investigation.
Choice B reason: Documenting small/moderate brown cerumen as normal is correct, as it’s a protective earwax variant. Absent symptoms, this finding needs no intervention, aligning with standard practice to record typical ear assessments without escalating care unnecessarily in this case.
Choice C reason: Teaching hygiene isn’t needed for normal cerumen levels, which self-regulate. Excessive cleaning risks impaction or injury, and with no blockage or symptoms, this action overcomplicates a routine finding better left to natural ear processes here.
Choice D reason: Noting for ear drops assumes intervention for a non-issue. Normal brown cerumen doesn’t require softening or removal unless symptomatic, making this step premature and unnecessary, diverging from evidence-based care for typical ear findings fully.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice A reason: Food restrictions identify allergies or preferences, but not intake patterns. This limits nutritional status insight, missing recent consumption data critical for assessing current health, making it less foundational for this initial evaluation fully here.
Choice B reason: A 24-hour recall details recent intake, offering a snapshot of diet quality and quantity. This directly informs nutritional status, habits, and deficits, making it the most appropriate starting question for a comprehensive assessment accurately here.
Choice C reason: Family obesity history suggests genetic risk, not the client’s nutrition. This indirect data lacks specificity on current intake, rendering it less useful than a direct dietary recall for this nutritional assessment entirely and fully here.
Choice D reason: Meal frequency provides structure, not content or quality. It’s less informative than a 24-hour recall, which captures specifics of what’s eaten, making it secondary for initiating a detailed nutritional evaluation comprehensively here fully.
Correct Answer is A
Explanation
Choice A reason: Graphesthesia tests cortical sensory function by tracing numbers on the palm with eyes closed. A right-sided stroke may impair this on the left side, making this the correct method to assess parietal lobe processing accurately here.
Choice B reason: Simultaneous bilateral touch tests extinction, not graphesthesia. This assesses neglect, not the ability to interpret shapes, missing the specific sensory integration focus needed for graphesthesia in this stroke assessment entirely and fully here.
Choice C reason: Identifying objects with eyes closed tests stereognosis, not graphesthesia. This evaluates tactile recognition, not number tracing, diverging from the precise cortical sensory skill targeted in this neurological exam for stroke effects here.
Choice D reason: Two-point discrimination tests sensory acuity, not graphesthesia. This measures point differentiation, not shape recognition, making it unrelated to assessing the parietal lobe’s interpretive ability post-stroke as intended in this scenario fully.
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