A client diagnosed with GERD asks the nurse what his treatment will be. The nurse correctly states:

Question

1. "You likely will be instructed to change your lifestyle to see if that helps relieve your symptoms."
2. "We will start you on an over-the-counter agent because you have easy access to them and a small chance of overdosing on them."
3. "We need to attack this early, and will start with combination therapy."
4. "GERD will require a surgical treatment for symptom relief."

Answer 1

Correct Answer: 1
Rationale 1: Before initiating pharmacotherapy, clients are usually advised to change lifestyle factors that might be contributing to the severity of GERD.
Rationale 2: Lifestyle changes should be initiated prior to medications.
Rationale 3: Combination therapy should follow if lifestyle modifications are not effective.
Rationale 4: Surgery is not a first-line treatment for the symptoms of GERD.
Global Rationale: Before initiating pharmacotherapy, patients are usually advised to change lifestyle factors that may be contributing to the severity of PUD or GERD. Combination therapy and surgery are not first line treatments.