Patient Care Responsibilities
List 4 appropriate communication techniques to encourage therapeutic relationships
1. Use Active Listening
2. Watching for nonverbal cues
3. Ask open-ended questions
4. Consider influences
What is the most common abbrevation for the following: Autonomic Nervous System, As soon as possible, Arteriovenous, Twice a day, Blood Pressure, Beats per minute, Blood urea nitrogen, and Biopsy
Answers:
ANS, ant, ASAP, AV, bid, BP, bpm, BUN, and Bx
What is the length of time one leave a tourniquet tied during blood collection?
No longer than 1 minute
List the routes that biological hazards may take to enter the body
Answers:
1. Airborne Route-Nasal passages into the lungs
2. Ingestion Route- Eaing the hazard
3. Percutaneous Route- through intact skin
4. Mucosal Route- through the lining of the mouth and nose
List the reasons the PCT would refuse an assignment
Answer:
1. Assignment might be not be part of the PCT's scope of practice.
2. PCT might feel uncomfortable with the assignment-not knowing how to perform the assigned task; may feel it is unethical or illegal.
3. PCT may refuse the task if the assignment if the task will cause harm to the patient or place the PCT in danger if the task is performed.
Explain how to care for a patient who has contractures
First- Notify the nurse and physical therapist, when the patient first develops contractures.
Next- Mobilize the joint using range-of motion techniques
Heat therapy can be used to to increase flexibility of the joints and ease pain
Use of a splint on the affected joint, which will stretch the joint continuously (MD ORDER NEEDED)
Last resort will be surgery to fix the affected tendon
What are the common abbrevations for the following words or phrases?
Culture and sensitivity, Calcium, Complete blood count, Colony count, Carninoma embryonic antigen, Chloride, and Central nervous system
Answers:
C&S, Ca, CBC, CC, CEA, Cl, CNS
Why is drawing blood from a sleeping patient inappropriate?
It could result in a startled patient and change the testing results.
Explain the difference between the folowing: Cleaning, Disinfection, and Sterilization
Anwers:
Cleaning-Removes visible dirt or soiled material from a surface.
Disinfection- Process that destroys most organisms on the surface of a piece of equipment. This can be chemical in nature, but may also use be disinfectant heat.
Sterilization- Process that removes all forms of microbial life from a piece of equipment.
What are the tasks that are not part of the PCT's scope of practice?
Answer: This will vary depending on the each state
1. Can not receive orders rom the physician, only the nurse can.
2. PCT's can not insert or remove devices from a patient's body-such as indewlling catheter, IV's, or rectal tubes.
3. PCT's may not perform sterile procedures.
4. Some states, PCT's are allowed to administer medications under special circumstances. Must have special training in order to give medications.
Explain why it is important to perform range of motion on patients
ROM maintains muscle tone during periods when patients lacks the strengths to perform other forms of activity. Patients can assisted with performing (AROM) activities if they are unable to do so themselves, such cases in which patients are sedated or comatose (PROM).
What are the most common abbrevaitons for the following: Gram, Gastroesophageal reflux disease, Graually Glucose Tolerance test, Hour, Hypodermic, Hemodialysis, Hemoglobin and hematacrit
Answers:
g, GERD, Grad., GTT, h, H or hypo, HD, and H&H
Why should the PCT never advise the patient of his prognosis or what tests are being done?
PCT may not know all the facts of the case and may give false and detrimental information to the patient. Always encourage the patient to ask the physician about tests and any prognosis.
What are the steps for sterilizing equipment?
Starts with the equipment being exposed to:
-Extreme dry heat or chemical sterilant to remove all microorganism
-Autoclaving is most effective method process of sterilzation
-Chemical sterilzation is used for equipment unable to tolerate high temperatures (i.e . rubber and fluids)
-Once equipment has been sterilized it must be handled using sterile technique.
Define Defamation. What is the difference between slander and libel?
Answer:
Defamation- When a person makes statements about another person that causes damage to the individuals's reputation, the person can be accused of defamation.
Slander- Refers to spoken defamation.
Libel- Written statement statement that causes injury to a person's reputation.
Define the following terms:
Stand by Assistance, Contact Guard Assistance, MIN, MAX
Stand By Assistance- Patient does not require any assistance in ambulating and does not require a gait belt.
Contact Guard Assiatnce -Patient who does not require assistance, but is at risk for falling
MIN-Patient needs small amounts of support while ambulating
MAX-May or may not be able to bear their weight, requires 1-2 staff fro assistance
Define the following common medical terminaology prefixes:
Hypo-, Inter-, Intra-, Meta-, Micro-, Multi-, Neo-, Nulli-, Pan-, Para-, Per-, Peri-, Poly-, and Post-
Answers:Prefixes In order-
decficient, between, within, change, minute/tiny, numerous, new, none, total, beyond, through, surrounding, many, and after
The Ulnar Artery is rarely to never used in arterial punctunture because...?
The ulnar artery provides collateral circulation for the hand. The radial artery is most commonly used in arterial puncture, the ulnar artery is there as back up to to provide blood to the hand if the radial artery is damaged and becomes unable to supply blood to the hand.
What is the difference between:
Communicable Infection
and
Nosocomial Infection
Communicable Infection- caused by direct or indirect transmission of a specific infectious agent or the toxins it produces from an infected person, animal, or inanimate host to a susceptible body; indirect transmission can be a vector, intermediate plant or animal host or inanimate environment.
Nosocomial Infection- hospital-acquired illness not resulting from the original reason for the patient to be admitted.
What is the right of respectful care?
Answer:
1. The right to be treated with respect by all those providing care.
2. Not discriminating against the patient because of: age, race, gender, and religion.
Explain when log rolling procedure should be performed?
Performed when a patient has sustained a neck injury or spinal cord injury. The patient's head, neck and spine must remain stable during the turn.
Communication is the key when using this technique to ensure movements are coordinated to maintained proper alignment.
What are the common abbrevaitons for the following words or phrases? Hematocrit, Mercury, Hemoglobin, Human immunodeficiency virus, History and physical, Intramuscular, and Intravenvous
Answers:
Hct, Hg, Hgb, HIV, H&P, IM, and IV
What are some variables that make a site inappropriate for selection?
1. Injuries tp the skin (i.e. burns, scars, and tattoos)
2. dammged veins from repeated collections or drug use
3. Swelling (Edema)
4. Hematoma (Bruising)
5. Mastectomy
Describe the best way to clean up a small blood spill?
Absorb the blood with paper towel or guard pad, then disinfect area with disinfect.
*Remember-Soap & Water/Alcohol are not a disinfectants.
*DO not scrape a dry spill- it could cause an aerosol of infectious organisms, use a disinfectant to moisten dried blood.
What sould the PCT do if asked to perform an activity that is out of his/her scope of practice?
Answer:
The PCT should speak with the charge nurse privately after the assignment has been given.
The PCT can also consult the facilities policy and procedure manual to confirm if the assigned task falls within the PCT's scope of practice. If it does, then the PCT should request the charge nurse to present while the task is being performed to ensure it is performed correctly.