A 61-year-old obese patient is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. The patient states that he is upset about the diet restrictions imposed by the treatment regimen. What is the nurse's best approach?
a. Tell the patient that he must do what the doctor tells him.
b. Offer counseling on nutrition and exercise.
c. Tell the patient about what happened to other patients who did not change their lifestyle.
d. Explain that he needs to accept the care provider's advice without question if he wants to get better.
ANS: B
Counseling related to physical activity and nutrition is an important component of the plan of care for overweight and obese patients. To help the patients develop positive health habits, the nurse becomes a teacher and a facilitator, providing information and positive reinforcement. Ultimately, however, the patient decides which behaviors will become habits of daily living. Scare tactics do not usually work. By providing information about how the body works and how patients form and change habits, the nurse raises the patient's level of knowledge regarding the potential impact of behavior on health. The nurse should encourage patients to express their feelings to promote problem solving and recognition of risk factors by patients themselves.
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