A 79-year-old patient with low body weight and long-term corticosteroid exposure falls from standing height and sustains a hip fracture. The patient reports no major trauma. The nurse creates the plan of care based on the understanding that….

A 9-year-old child has progressive proximal muscle weakness, difficulty climbing stairs, frequent falls, and enlarged calves. The parent reports the child uses the hands to push up from the thighs when rising from the floor. The nurse creates the plan of care based on the understanding that….

A 44-year-old patient reports symmetric pain and swelling in the wrists and MCP joints, morning stiffness lasting more than one hour, fatigue, and low-grade fever. ESR is 58 mm/hr (normal generally

A 76-year-old patient has chronic knee pain that worsens with activity and improves with rest. The joint is enlarged with crepitus and brief morning stiffness lasting less than 20 minutes. ESR is 14 mm/hr (normal generally

A 41-year-old man with alcohol use disorder has recurrent upper abdominal pain, weight loss, steatorrhea, and newly elevated glucose. He reports stools that are bulky and difficult to flush. Lipase is mildly elevated at 115 U/L (normal: approximately 0–160 U/L), and fasting glucose is 148 mg/dL (normal: 70–99 mg/dL). The NP bases the plan of care on the understanding that chronic pancreatic inflammation can lead to which pathophysiologic consequence?

A 72-year-old patient is brought to the clinic by family because of progressive memory loss, impaired judgment, difficulty managing finances, and getting lost in familiar places. The symptoms have gradually worsened over several years. The nurse creates the plan of care based on the understanding that….

A 57-year-old woman has chronic diarrhea with blood and mucus, urgency, tenesmus, and cramping abdominal pain. Colonoscopy shows continuous inflammation beginning in the rectum and extending proximally through the colon. Hemoglobin is 10.8 g/dL (normal adult female: 12–16 g/dL). The NP bases the plan of care on the understanding that…

A 72-year-old man with long-standing type 2 diabetes and hypertension reports progressive fatigue, mild ankle edema, decreased appetite, and reduced exercise tolerance. His kidney function has slowly worsened over several years. Labs show creatinine 2.4 mg/dL (normal: 0.6–1.3 mg/dL), eGFR 28 mL/min/1.73 m² (normal: ≥90 mL/min/1.73 m²), potassium 5.3 mEq/L (normal: 3.5–5.0 mEq/L), and hemoglobin 9.8 g/dL (normal adult male: 13.5–17.5 g/dL). The NP bases the plan of care on the understanding that…

A 37-year-old patient with severe sepsis becomes confused and hypotensive and develops petechiae, bruising, and oozing from venipuncture sites. Labs show platelets 38,000/mm3 (normal 150,000-400,000/mm3), PT 22 seconds (normal 11-13.5 seconds), aPTT 61 seconds (normal 25-35 seconds), fibrinogen 95 mg/dL (normal 200-400 mg/dL), and D-dimer markedly elevated (normal usually

A 66-year-old patient with atrial fibrillation suddenly develops left-sided weakness, right gaze preference, neglect of the left side, and slurred speech. Symptoms started 30 minutes ago. Blood glucose is 104 mg/dL (normal fasting 70-99 mg/dL), blood pressure is 186/98 mm Hg (normal