An older adult patient is admitted to the hospital for treatment of an exacerbation of a chronic illness

Question

Admission laboratory work reveals an extremely low serum drug level of the drug used to treat this condition. The patient has brought the medication to the hospital, along with other medications taken. The patient's renal and hepatic function tests are normal. What might the nurse suspect as a likely cause of this finding?
a. Financial concerns
b. Inability to open drug containers
c. Increased tolerance to the drug's effects
d. Patient's conviction that the drug is unnecessary

Answer 1

ANS: A
Older adult patients who have financial concerns about paying for medications often take less of the drug or take it less often to make the drug last longer. A patient unable to open the drug container would not get any medication and would not have a detectable serum drug level. A patient with increased tolerance to a drug's effects would require more of the drug to get effects. A patient convinced that the drug is not needed would probably not fill the prescription.