Harold Dannon, 68 years old, had his blood pressure checked at the senior citizen center, and the nurse sent him to the physician because his blood pressure was 207/110 mm Hg. When you question Mr

Question

Dannon about his dosage of Calan SR, he states that he quit taking it because he was too constipated. What is your best response?
a. "Mr. Dannon, you know that you have to take your blood pressure medicine no matter how you feel. You could have had a stroke in the middle of the senior center!"
b. "Constipation is a problem with that medication. What did you try to help relieve the constipation while you were taking Calan?"
c. "There are many different kinds of blood pressure medicines. You could have just called the office, and we would have called in a prescription for something else"
d. "I told you that you could get a little consti-pated. You can't quit taking a blood pressure medication without first telling the doctor"

Answer 1

B
Response B is the best answer because, by discussing the constipation, you can explore Mr. Dannon's learning needs and teach him about managing constipation, which was a serious problem for him. Responses A, C, and D express concern about Mr. Dannon's need to take a blood pressure medication, but they do not open the conversation to promote meeting Mr. Dannon's obvious learning need regarding use of antihypertensives and management of potential side effects.