Insurance/Policy
If a nurse wants to be involved in influencing policy at the state level, but can not attend meetings in person how can they stay involved and remain actively influential?
Even if a nurse can’t be in the room, they can still shape state policy and be influential by writing letters or emails to elected officials, joining meetings virtually, and phoning state legislators to take a stand on issues backed by evidence based practice.
A community nurse is assessing the results of a Mantoux test. What results is considered an absolute positive?
15mm
What is one way you would promote ethics in an experimental study regarding race/ethnicity?
Data collected specifically regarding race/ethnicity for statistical analysis will be kept separate from daily records to reduce any bias.
A thirteen-year-old patient (Susie) reports to the ER with her parents with nausea, headache, and tachycardia. The moms states they had just moved here from Michigan and bought a house in the historic section of town, where she home schools her daughter. The entire family has been getting sick, but Susie has not been getting any better. What should be the nurse’s main concern and what type of environmental assessment should be done?
Lead toxicity should be the primary concern, and an assessment of housing quality should be performed. Lead levels are usually checked at 12 and 24 months, and toxicity can occur at any age, especially if there are environmental concerns where one would be exposed for large amounts of time, but it is most dangerous in children. Community nurses often work with programs to organize lead poisoning screenings.
As nurses begin taking on the role of case managers, what is the most difficult aspect of the role?
Learning to navigate the complex medical insurance systems
What are ways to prevent foodborne illnesses?
Why is it more common for Americans to engage in unhealthy behaviors?
There are fewer lifestyle change programs in the US and the American healthcare system refuses to pay for lifestyle programs and prevention strategies when compared to other countries.
What is epidemiology? Give some examples.
Epidemiology is the study of how diseases affect groups of people. It looks at who gets sick, where, and why, so we can prevent illness and improve health. Some examples may include tracking flu outbreaks in a given region, examining food poisoning cases after a community outbreak, or reviewing county health records on chickenpox after a large influx of cases in the community.
What are prospective payments and DRGs (diagnosis-related groups)?
A prospective payment is when Medicare (or Medicaid in some cases) pays a set, predetermined amount for a patient’s care, rather than reimbursing hospitals for the actual costs they report. The idea is to control and lower healthcare costs by giving providers a fixed payment based on the expected cost of treating a condition, instead of an open-ended bill. A DRG is a classification system that groups patients with similar clinical diagnoses and expected resource needs. Each DRG has a payment weight assigned that reflects the average resources needed to treat that condition. These changes have successfully decreased cost of those programs.
In a community presentation by a community health nurse about diabetes management she discussed the signs of hyper and hypoglycemia as well as how to properly check your blood glucose levels. As a community nurse what else would be important to discuss in this presentation?
A community nurse would want to discuss levels of prevention like actions that could be taken by the community to reduce and manage the prevalence of diabetes, such as better dietary options or opportunities for exercise in the community.
A nurse is caring for a dying patient who states she is Roman Catholic, what should the nurse do?
Ask the patient if she wants a Sacrament of the Sick to be performed.
What is incidence rate? What is prevalence rate?
Incidence rate shows how many new cases of a disease happen over a period of time.Think of it as a movie showing new cases as they occur in a given time frame. Example: If 10 people develop asthma in a town of 1,000 over one year, the incidence is 1% per year.
Prevalence rate is how many people have a disease at a certain time. Think of it as a snapshot of all current cases in a population. Example: If 100 people in a town of 1,000 have asthma right now, the prevalence is 10%.
What is a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) and how does in contribute to competition in the healthcare system?
An HMO is a type of health insurance plan. Individuals who join an HMO pay a monthly fee (premium) and, in return, get access to a network of doctors, hospitals, and clinics. HMOs often charge lower premiums than traditional insurance, which pushes other insurers to keep their prices competitive. HMOs limit patient choices by requiring referrals for specialist, which helps in reducing overall costs.
When should discharge planning begin and why?
At the time of admission. It’s important to begin discharge planning at admission because it ensures patients and families are prepared for the transition out of the hospital, reducing stress and confusion. Early planning also helps identify needs such as education, medications, equipment, or community resources, which improves safety, continuity of care, and lowers the risk of readmission.
If a new patient admission is being served the generic supper (a Turkey and Swiss sandwich served on rye with house chips and iced tea) states they are Jewish and keeps kosher, what modifications need to be made to their tray?
The mixing of meat and cheese is not permitted in Kosher practice so the cafeteria should be informed to put no cheese on this patient’s sandwich.
What is acquired immunity? What is herd immunity?
Acquired immunity is immunity you develop after being exposed to a disease or through a vaccine. Your body “learns” to fight the disease so you are protected in the future. Example: Getting a flu shot or recovering from chickenpox gives you acquired immunity.
Herd immunity is when most people in a community are immune to a disease, making it hard for the disease to spread. Even people who aren’t immune are protected because the disease can’t move easily through the population. Example: If most kids in a school are vaccinated against measles, it helps protect the few who can’t be vaccinated.