Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to 'Mitigate'.

Appeared in: BSF Staff Nurse - 2021

Explanation

The word 'Mitigate' means to reduce the severity, seriousness, or painfulness of something.
'Alleviate' is defined as making a problem, deficiency, or suffering less severe.
Based on these definitions, 'Alleviate' is the most direct and accurate synonym for 'Mitigate'.
In a clinical context, a nurse's goal is often to mitigate risks and alleviate a patient's symptoms, such as pain.

Option A: Aggravate is an antonym of Mitigate. It means to make a problem, injury, or offense worse or more serious.
Option B: Worsen is an antonym of Mitigate. It means to make or become worse.
Option C: Intensify is an antonym of Mitigate. It means to become or make more intense or extreme.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Synonym Identification (Vocabulary) as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
A core principle of nursing is to mitigate potential harm to patients (e.g., infection risk, pressure injuries) and to alleviate suffering (e.g., pain, anxiety, nausea).
Nurses must constantly assess whether their interventions are alleviating symptoms or inadvertently aggravating a condition.
What if? If a patient with chronic pain reports their pain has 'intensified' after a new physical therapy exercise, the nurse's priority action changes from routine care to reassessing the intervention, notifying the therapist, and providing immediate pain alleviation.

How to Approach the Question

First, define the word in the question stem. 'Mitigate' means to make something less severe.
Next, analyze each option to determine its meaning.
Option A, 'Aggravate', means to make worse.
Option B, 'Worsen', means to become worse.
Option C, 'Intensify', means to make more intense.
Option D, 'Alleviate', means to make less severe.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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E6 Nursing Fundamentals Potter Perry 12e Part 5 p. 148-150

Practise the full BSF Staff Nurse - 2021

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.