Skip to ContentGo to accessibility page
Medical-Surgical Nursing

Reflection Questions

Medical-Surgical NursingReflection Questions

Reflection Questions

1 .
Consider and discuss how the concept of triage contributes to efficient emergency department operations.
2 .
Give examples of some specific situations where the ABCDE triage assessment might be particularly crucial and explain why.
3 .
What trends would the nurse assess in the patient’s clinical condition to see a resolution of rhabdomyolysis?
4 .
You are caring for a pediatric patient and notice bruise marks around their wrists and cuts on their forearms. What is your role as a nurse?
5 .
A nurse is caring for a patient with a psychiatric emergency. What types of psychiatric emergencies are there, and which measures should you implement when caring for this patient?
6 .
A nurse in an emergency room was assaulted by an intoxicated patient. During incontinence care, the patient grabs the nurse’s stethoscope and attempts to strangle the nurse. The ED staff assisted the nurse, freeing her from the patient. What are some debriefing activities the nurse manager can take to mitigate the risk? Reflect on what the nurse could have done differently.
7 .
When caring for a patient with a history of violent outbursts who begins pacing the room and acting agitated, what are some effective verbal de-escalation strategies you can use? When would you need to place this patient in restraints? What strategies can you implement to ensure your safety while caring for this patient?
8 .
Describe the differences between a forensic nurse and a SANE nurse.
9 .
You are discharging a seventy-year-old patient who has bilateral wrist fractures because of a fall. What would you anticipate needing to consider to design an optimal discharge and care coordination plan before this patient goes home?
10 .
Describe potential challenges in implementing an effective discharge plan for patients from diverse cultural backgrounds. How would you address these challenges?
11 .
A patient arrived in the emergency department with a complex medical history and limited understanding of their conditions. How would you ensure effective communication and education during the discharge planning process?
Citation/Attribution
Reuse and redistribution of this content in digital or print format:
  • This book may not be used in the training of large language models or otherwise be ingested into large language models or generative AI offerings without OpenStax's prior written permission.
  • This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License, which means that you can reuse and modify the material only for noncommercial purposes, must attribute OpenStax, and must distribute any derivative works under the same license.
  • Any commercial printing of this textbook, including using a local or custom printer, must be approved by OpenStax, and proper citation provided.
  • OpenStax-copyrighted images, activities, assessments, and similar components of this book are subject to the same licensing – CC-BY-NC-SA. They can be used for noncommercial purposes with attribution. Commercial use requires permission.
  • Permission requests: Anyone who intends to incorporate this content (including text, images, and other components) into large language models, use it in AI offerings, use it commercially (including in print), and/or has questions about another use case is welcome to complete our reuse request form.
Attribution information
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a noncommercial print format, then you must include on every physical page the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/medical-surgical-nursing/pages/1-introduction

  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a noncommercial digital format, then for every page that includes OpenStax content, you must license the derivative work under the same CC-BY-NC-SA license as the original, and include on every digital page view the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/medical-surgical-nursing/pages/1-introduction

Citation information

The information below includes the information needed to generate citations in most major styles (APA, MLA, etc.); you must reformat and organize the information as needed to fit the requirements of the style. Use the information below to generate a citation. We recommend using a citation tool such as this one.

© Jul 23, 2026 OpenStax. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License. The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo, and Rice University name, and Rice University logo trademarks, or wordmarks are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.