Question

Because a full bladder prevents the uterus from contracting normally, nurses intervene to help the woman empty her bladder spontaneously as soon as possible. If all else fails, the last thing the nurse might try is:

a. Pouring water from a squeeze bottle over the woman's perineum.
b. Placing oil of peppermint in a bedpan under the woman.
c. Asking the physician to prescribe analgesics.
d. Inserting a sterile catheter.

Answer 1

To assist a woman with a full bladder, a nurse might first use non-invasive methods like pouring water over the perineum or using peppermint oil. If these fail, inserting a sterile catheter becomes necessary to aid in bladder emptying and prevent urinary complications. So, the correct answer is option d. Inserting a sterile catheter.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question regards measure a nurse might employ to assist a woman in emptying her bladder to prevent the problem of a full bladder, which can interfere with the normal contraction of the uterus.

Interventions might initially be non-invasive, such as pouring water over the perineum to stimulate urination reflexes or using oil of peppermint as an olfactory stimulus.

As a last resort, a nurse may need to insert a sterile catheter to manually empty the bladder if other methods have failed. This is because bladder pressure can cause pelvic discomfort and other complications.

In pregnant women, the weight of the fetus can exert pressure on the bladder, intensifying the need to urinate frequently and sometimes leading to micturition problems.

So, the correct answer is option d. Inserting a sterile catheter.