Patient Assessment and Diagnosis Flashcards
7 cards from real CARN practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Patient Assessment and Diagnosis flashcards as text
A nurse performing an addiction assessment documents that a patient continues using substances despite a physician-confirmed diagnosis of alcohol-related liver disease. Under DSM-5 criteria, this finding best satisfies which criterion?
Answer: Use despite persistent physical health consequences
Continued use despite a known physical health condition worsened by substance use meets the DSM-5 criterion of use despite persistent or recurrent physical problems.
When assessing a patient for methamphetamine use disorder, which constellation of findings is most characteristic of acute intoxication?
Answer: Mydriasis, hyperthermia, extreme weight loss, and paranoia
Methamphetamine intoxication produces dilated pupils, elevated temperature, severe weight loss from appetite suppression, and paranoid ideation.
A patient's family member tells the nurse that the patient has been hiding alcohol around the house and drinking secretly. In the context of addiction assessment, this behavior most reflects:
Answer: Loss of control and preoccupation consistent with moderate-to-severe AUD
Concealment of alcohol and covert drinking indicate loss of control and preoccupation, hallmarks of moderate-to-severe alcohol use disorder.
A nurse completing a comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment asks about family history of substance use disorders. This question is clinically relevant because:
Answer: Family history identifies a genetic risk factor for developing SUD
First-degree relatives of individuals with SUD have significantly higher genetic risk, making family history a key component of risk stratification.
Which assessment finding best indicates that a patient in alcohol withdrawal has progressed to delirium tremens (DTs)?
Answer: Global confusion, agitation, fever, and autonomic instability
Delirium tremens is defined by the triad of confusion, autonomic instability, and agitation, typically occurring 48–96 hours after last drink and carrying mortality risk.
During assessment, a patient reports craving alcohol intensely whenever they drive past a bar they used to frequent. This is best explained by which concept?
Answer: Environmental cue-induced craving via classical conditioning
Environmental stimuli (bars, people, places) become conditioned cues that trigger craving through classical conditioning, a key mechanism in relapse vulnerability.
When documenting a nursing diagnosis for a patient with opioid use disorder presenting in withdrawal, which NANDA-I diagnosis is most appropriate?
Answer: Risk for injury related to altered neurological status secondary to opioid withdrawal
Opioid withdrawal causes altered neurological status, autonomic instability, and potential for falls or injury, making risk for injury the most clinically urgent nursing diagnosis.