The nurse is caring for a patient in the prenatal clinic. The patient recently arrived in the United States as a refugee from a country in Africa. This is the first patient from this cultural background with whom the nurse has worked

Question

Which intervention is most appropriate in the care of this patient?
1. Ask the patient about her expectations during the labor and birth.
2. Determine if the patient has been tested for tuberculosis.
3. Help the patient into the paper dressing gown prior to her exam.
4. Look for written handouts on prenatal care in the patient's language.

Answer 1

Correct Answer:
Rationale 1: Women new to the U.S. will have little or no experience with the U.S. health care system. Culture heavily influences a patient's behaviors and attitudes during pregnancy, labor, and birth, so determining what the patient wants during her labor and birth will facilitate both a better experience for the family and a calmer situation for the health care team.
Rationale 2: Although tuberculosis is pandemic in refugee camps, and testing for tuberculosis in new arrivals to the U.S. is important, this question is about prenatal care. Testing for tuberculosis is not related to prenatal care.
Rationale 3: The patient is probably unfamiliar with paper dressing gowns and will need some instruction (often through demonstration). But this is not the highest priority. It is more important to find out what the patient expects to happen during her labor and birth.
Rationale 4: Providing written handouts in the patient's primary language is important. But a higher priority for prenatal care would be to assess what the patient's expectations for labor and birth are.