APPLYING YOUR KNOWLEDGE
CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS
1.Write down the interview questions you
would use to obtain a sexual history from
the following patients.
a.An 18-year-old female victim of date rape
who is brought to the emergency room for
testing and treatment
b.A 48-year-old man diagnosed with prostate
cancer who is seeking a prescription for
Viagra
c.An HIV-positive woman who has had mul-
tiple sexual partners and admits she proba-
bly infected other people through unsafe
practices
d.A 5-year-old girl who presents with soreness
and redness in the genital area
How comfortable would you be asking these
patients the necessary questions, and how
might you develop the skills necessary to per-
form the interview?
2.Describe the knowledge and skills you would
need to care for patients experiencing the fol-
lowing sexual dysfunctions.
a.A man undergoing radiation treatment for
colon cancer complains of impotence.
b.A menopausal woman complains of vaginal
dryness and pain during intercourse.
c.A sexually active teenager complains of a
burning sensation during urination.REFLECTIVE PRACTICE USING CRITICAL
THINKING SKILLS
Use the following expanded scenario from
Chapter 45 in your textbook to answer the
questions below.
Scenario:Jefferson Smith is a middle-aged
man who was recently married after the death
of his first wife 10 years ago. He has a history
of diabetes and hypertension and is receiving
numerous medications as treatment. During a
routine visit to his primary care physician, Mr.
Smith confides that he has been having prob-
lems “in the bedroom.” He reports difficulty
attaining and maintaining an erection. He
asks, “What about all those new drugs they
keep advertising on TV? Would they work
for me?”1.What issues might the nurse address in the
plan of care for Mr. Smith? What patient
teaching should be incorporated into the
plan of care?2.What would be a successful outcome for this
patient?3.What intellectual, technical, interpersonal,
and/or ethical/legal competencies are most
likely to bring about the desired outcome?4.What resources might be helpful for
Mr. Smith?PATIENT CARE STUDY
Read the following patient care study and use
your nursing process skills to answer the
questions on page 318.
Scenario:Anthony Piscatelli, a 6-foot tall, mus-
cular, healthy 19-year-old college freshman in
the School of Nursing, confides to his nursing
advisor that “everything is great” about college
life, with one exception: “All of a sudden, I
find myself questioning the values I learned at
home about sex and marriage. My mom was
really insistent that each of her sons should
respect women and that intercourse was some-
thing you saved until you were ready to get
married. If she told us once, she told us a hun-
dred times, that we’d save ourselves, the girls
in our lives, and her and dad a lot of heartache
if we could just learn to control ourselves sexu-
ally. Problem is that no one here seems to
subscribe to this philosophy. I feel like I’mCHAPTER 45 SEXUALITY 317
Copyright © 2011 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Study Guide for Fundamentals of Nursing:LWBK696-C45_p312-319.qxd 9/3/10 12:38 PM Page 317 Aptara Inc