Which client should a nurse identify as a potential candidate for involuntarily commitment?
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A
A client living under a bridge in a cardboard box
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B
A client threatening to commit suicide
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C
A client who never bathes and wears a wool hat in the summer
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D
A client who eats waste out of a garbage can
The statement that matches what is being asked is A client threatening to commit suicide.
A. A client living under a bridge in a cardboard box
This would apply in a different scenario where the idea in “A client living under a bridge in a cardboard box” addresses a different mechanism or priority than the one emphasized by the stem The wording does not track the stem’s main cue, so selecting it would shift the nurse away from the most precise interpretation or priority.
B. A client threatening to commit suicide
This matches the stem because The nurse should identify the client threatening to commit suicide as eligible for involuntary commitment. The suicidal client who refuses treatments is a danger to self and requires emergency treatment. Need: Safe and Effective Care Environment The underlying principle in the stem is best addressed by choosing the response that is both specific to the cue provided and consistent with evidence-informed psychiatric nursing practice. From a nursing standpoint, this selection guides assessment and interventions toward what is most clinically meaningful in the moment—risk reduction, safety, accurate appraisal, and support for adaptive coping.
C. A client who never bathes and wears a wool hat in the summer
This could seem tempting if the idea in “A client who never bathes and wears a wool hat in the summer” addresses a different mechanism or priority than the one emphasized by the stem The wording does not track the stem’s main cue, so selecting it would shift the nurse away from the most precise interpretation or priority.
D. A client who eats waste out of a garbage can
This sounds reasonable when the idea in “A client who eats waste out of a garbage can” addresses a different mechanism or priority than the one emphasized by the stem The wording does not track the stem’s main cue, so selecting it would shift the nurse away from the most precise interpretation or priority.
Conclusion
This question is answered by pairing the stem’s defining clue with the option that applies the tested idea most precisely. Alternatives are attractive but require added context to be correct.