A clinic nurse is working with a patient who has a long-standing diagnosis of polycythemia vera. How can the nurse best gauge the course of the patient's disease?
A) Document the color of the patient's palms and face during each visit.
B) Follow the patient's erythrocyte sedimentation rate over time.
C) Document the patient's response to erythropoietin injections.
D) Follow the trends of the patient's hematocrit.
Ans: D
Feedback:
The course of polycythemia vera can be best ascertained by monitoring the patient's hematocrit, which should remain below 45%. Erythropoietin injections would exacerbate the condition. Skin tone should be observed, but is a subjective assessment finding. The patient's ESR is not relevant to the course of the disease.
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