Nursing


Are there areas in your practice that you believe should be more fully explored? The central aims of nursing informatics are to manage and communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom. This continuum represents the overarching structure of nursing informatics. In this Assignment, you develop a research question relevant to your practice area and relate how you would work through the progression from data to information, knowledge, and wisdom. 

To prepare:

· Develop a clinical question related to your area of practice that you would like to explore. 

· Consider what you currently know about this topic. What additional information would you need to answer the question?

· Using the continuum of data, information, knowledge, and wisdom, determine how you would go about researching your question. 

o Explore the available databases in the Walden Library. Identify which of these databases you would use to find the information or data you need.

o Once you have identified useful databases, how would you go about finding the most relevant articles and information?

o Consider how you would extract the relevant information from the articles.

o How would you take the information and organize it in a way that was useful? How could you take the step from simply having useful knowledge to gaining wisdom? 

Write a 3- to 4-page paper that addresses the following:

· Summarize the question you developed, and then relate how you would work through the four steps of the data, information, knowledge, wisdom continuum. Be specific. 

o Identify the databases and search words you would use. 

o Relate how you would take the information gleaned and turn it into useable knowledge.

· Can informatics be used to gain wisdom? Describe how you would progress from simply having useful knowledge to the wisdom to make decisions about the information you have found during your database search.

Your paper must also include a title page, an introduction, a summary, and a reference page.

Handling Culturally Diverse Patients

  • Handling Culturally Diverse PatientsMrs. Abdul has recently emigrated from the Middle East to live with her daughter and son-in-law. The Abdul family has just started coming to the clinic you work at as a Medical Administrative Assistant for care over the past 3 months. You have noticed that they have arrived late for all of their appointments to date, have arrived again late for their appointment today and seem reluctant to answer many of the questions that are asked. Also, it is observed that Mrs. Abdul allows her daughter to speak for her most of the time. Based on some preliminary testing that was conducted, Dr. Jones is concerned that Mrs. Abdul may have cancer, but must do some further diagnostic testing to be sure.Based on the above scenario what information should the medical staff be aware of to help them interact effectively with the patient? Are there specific guidelines they should follow in terms of cultural diversity? If so, what would those be? 
  • W3C1: Key Assessment for CLO #4Utilizing Proper Telephone Techniques: The Angry PatientYou are the Medical Administrative Assistant for your practice. The phone rings and you answer it. It is Mr. Wilson, a patient of the practice. He is very upset because he received an EOB (explanation of benefits) in the mail today indicating the insurance denied his claim for his most recent office visit because it was not considered medically necessary. Your practice has not yet billed Mr. Wilson, but he warns “You better not even think about billing me for that visit, or I’ll sue you”. Mr. Wilson does not want to hear that the office can appeal the denial if he is willing to complete the form that was sent to him. He adds “paperwork is your job, not mine!”1. If you were in this situation what would you do? Think about and incorporate applicable PRICE characteristics.
    2. Should you alert the physician or office manager or try to handle on your own?3. Should this incident be documented in the patient’s medical record? Why or why not?4. Please answer all questions completely. APA format must be used. 

Nursing

Reaching out a Solution  This assignment is designed to assist you in developing a thoughtful process for advocating about an issue as a nurse, from identifying a problem that needs to be solved through articulating a process for doing so.  

This assignment consists of answering each of the questions listed below from the “Political Analysis and Strategies” chapter of your course textbook. Write each question as a new topic area; then follow with a paragraph or two to answer the question. Be sure to use APA guidelines for writing style, spelling and grammar, and citation of sources, if any used. This project should be no longer than 4 pages. 

 Let us assume that you are a school nurse in a high school. At a recent school athletic event, a spectator suffered a cardiac arrest in the stands. A coach of the home team went into the high school to fetch the automatic emergency defibrillator (AED) only to find out that it was not readily available. In the meantime, an emergency squad arrived and resuscitated the spectator. On Monday morning, you learn of the absence of the AED only to find out that it had been locked in the custodian’s closet. Reflect on the following questions outlined in the “Political Analysis and Strategies” chapter: 

•What is the issue? 

•Is it my issue, and can I solve it?

 •Is this the real issue or merely a symptom of a larger one? 

•Does it need an immediate solution, or can it wait?

 •Is it likely to go away by itself? 

•Can I risk ignoring it? 

•What are the possible solutions? Are there risks to these solutions? 

•What steps would you need to take in order to solve the issue? 

•Does anyone else at the school need to be involved in the solution?

 •Where is the power leverage in the school to reach the preferred solution?  Reaching a solution requires the use of power vested in the nurse. 

Case Study: HIV Patient

Linda is a 28-year-old female in a discordant relationship with her boyfriend of 1 year. Linda is 12 weeks pregnant based on her last menstrual period. She is engaged in HIV-care and is naïve to antiretroviral therapy (ART) because her CD4 cell count is 538 per mm3 and viral load is 8,300. No tobacco, alcohol, or illegal or illicit drug use. 

Physical examination: Normal, healthy 28-year-old gravid female. She is overweight with a body mass index of 28.2.

Laboratory and other tests: Genotype is pan-sensitive without HIV mutations. Ultrasound at her 2-day follow-up estimates she is 15 weeks pregnant.  

Assignment Questions

  1. What are the Public Health Service Panel on Antiretroviral Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents guidelines for HIV-positive pregnant females regarding starting ART? What antiretroviral medications are recommended as first line?  Which drugs should be avoided?  Provide a rationale for all answers.
  2. What education does Linda need regarding her medication? 
  3. Are there any risks to the baby during labor?
  4. What should be done for the baby at birth if he/she tests positive for HIV? What will the providers need to do in terms of monitoring the baby?

Instructions 

  • Prepare and submit a 3-4 page paper [total] in length (not including APA format).
  • Answer all the questions above. 
  • Support your position with examples.
  • Please review the rubric to ensure that your assignment meets criteria.
  • Submit the following documents to the Submit Assignments/Assessments area:

Nursing

Mrs. Kenner is concerned that her teenage daughter spends too much time on the Internet. She inquires about possible treatments for her daughter’s addiction. Which response by the PMHNP demonstrates understanding of pharmacologic approaches for compulsive disorders?

a) “Compulsive internet use can be treated similarly to how we treat people with substance use disorders”

b) “internet addiction is treated with drugs that help block the tension/arousal state your daughter experiences”

c) “When it comes to internet addiction, we prefer to treat patients with pharmaceuticals rather than psychosocial methods”

d) “there are no evidence-based treatments for internet addiction, but there are behavioral therapies your daughter can try”

Mr. Peterson is meeting with the PMHNP to discuss healthier dietary habits. With a BMI of 33, Mr. Peterson is obese and needs to modify his food intake. “Sometimes I think I’m addicted to food the way some people are addicted to drugs”, he says. Which statement best describes the neurobiological parallels between food and drug addiction?

a) There is decreased activation of the prefrontal cortex

b) There is increased sensation of the reactive reward system

c) There is reduced activation of regions that process palatability

d) There are amplified reward circuits that activate upon consumption

The PMHNP is caring for a patient who reports excessive arousal at nighttime. What could the PMHNP use for a time-limited duration to shift the patient’s brain from a hyperactive state to a sleep state?

a) Histamine 2 receptor antagonist

b) Benzodiazepines

c) Stimulants

d) Caffeine 

The PMHNP is caring for a patient who experiences too much overstimulation and anxiety during daytime hours. The patient agrees to a pharmacological treatment but states, “I don’t want to feel sedated or drowsy from the medicine.” Which decision made by the PMHNP demonstrates proper knowledge of this patient’s symptoms and appropriate treatment options?

a) Avoiding prescribing the patient a drug that blocks H1 receptors

b) Prescribing the patient a drug that acts on H2 receptors

c) Stopping the patient from taking medicine that unblocks H1 receptors

d) None of the above

Medicine


The PMHNP wants to use a symptom-based approach to treating a patient with fibromyalgia. How does the PMHNP go about treating this patient?

a) Prescribing the patient an agent that ignores the painful symptoms by initiating a reaction known as “fibro-fog”

b) Targeting the patient’s symptoms with anticonvulsants that inhibits gray matter loss in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

c) Mzatching the patient’s symptoms with the malfunctioning brain circuits and neurotransimitters that might mediate those symptoms

d) None of the above

The PMHNP is working with the student to care for a patient with diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain. The student asks the PMHNP why SSRIs are not consistently useful in treating this particular patient’s pain. What is the best response by the PMHNP? 

a) “SSRIs only increase norepinephrine levels” 

b) “SSRIs only increase serotonin levels”

c) “SSRIs only increase serotonin and norepinephrine levels”

d) “SSRIs do not increase serotonin or norepinephrine levels”

A patient with gambling disorder and no other psychiatric comorbidities is being treated with pharmacological agents. Which drug is the PMHNP most likely to prescribe? 

a) Antipsychotics

b) Lithium

c) SSRI

d) Naltrexone

Kevin is an adolescent who has been diagnosed with kleptomania. His parents are interested in seeking pharmacological treatment. What does the PMHNP tell the parents regarding his treatment options? 

a) “Naltrexone may be an appropriate option to discuss”

b) “there are many medicine options that treat Kleptomania”

c) “Kevin may need to be prescribed antipsychotics to treat this illness”

d) “Lithium has proven effective for treating kleptomania”

Which statement best describes a pharmacological approach to treating patients for impulsive aggression?

a) Anticonvulsant mood stabilizers can eradicate limbic irritability

b) Atypical antipsychotics can increase subcortical dopaminergic stimulation

c) Stimulants can be used to decrease frontal inhibition

d) Opioid antagonists can be used to reduce drive

A patient with hypersexual disorder is being assessed for possible pharmacologic treatment. Why does the PMHNP prescribe an antiandrogen for this patient?

a) It will prevent feelings of euphoria

b) It will amplify impulse control

c) It will block testosterone

d) It will redirect the patient to think about other things

Medicine


Mrs. Rosen is a 49-year-old patient who is experiencing fibro-fog. What does the PMHNP prescribe for Mrs. Rosen to improve this condition? 

a) Venlafaxine (Effexor)

b) Armodafinil (Nuvigil)

c) Bupropion (Wellbutrin)

d) All of the above

The PMHNP is caring for a patient with fibromyalgia. Which second-line treatment does the PMHNP select that may be effective for managing this patient’s pain?

a) Methylphenidate (Ritalin)

b) Viloxazine (Vivalan)

c) Imipramine (Tofranil)

d) Bupropion (Wellbutrin)

The PMHNP is attempting to treat a patient’s chronic pain by having the agent bind the open channel conformation of VSCCs to block those channels with a “use-dependent” form of inhibition. Which agent will the PMHNP most likely select? 

a) Pregabalin (Lyrica)

b) Duloxetine (Cymbalta)

c) Modafinil (Provigil)

d) Atomoxetine (Strattera)

A patient with irritable bowel syndrome reports chronic stomach pain. The PMHNP wants to prescribe the patient an agent that will cause irrelevant nociceptive inputs from the pain to be ignored and no longer perceived as painful. Which drug will the PMHNP prescribe?

a) Pregabalin (Lyrica)

b) Gabapentin (Neurontin)

c) Duloxetine (Cymbalta)

d) B and C 

Medicine

The PMHNP prescribes gabapentin (Neurontin) for a patient’s chronic pain. How does the PMHNP anticipate the drug to work? 

a) It will bind to the alpha-2-delta ligand subunit of voltage-sensitive calcium channels

b) It will induce synaptic changes, including sprouting

c) It will act on the presynaptic neuron to trigger sodium influx

d) It will Inhibit activity of dorsal horn neurons to suppress body input from reaching the brain

Medicine

A patient with fibromyalgia and major depression needs to be treated for symptoms of pain. Which is the PMHNP most likely to prescribe for this patient? 

a) Venlafaxine (Effexor)

b) Duloxetine (Cymbalta)

c) Clozapine (Clozaril)

d) Phenytoin (Dilantin)

Nursing

A patient with chronic back pain has been prescribed a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI). How does the PMHNP describe the action of SNRIs on the inhibition of pain to the patient? 

a) “the SNRI can increase noradrenergic neurotransmission in the descending spinal pathway to the dorsal horn”

b) “the SNRI can decrease noradrenergic neurotransmission in the descending spinal pathway to the dorsal horn”

c) “the SNRI can reduce brain atrophy by slowing the gray matter loss in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex”

d) “the SNRI can increase neurotransmission to descending neurons”