The nurse admits a woman to the clinic for an annual exam. The patient denies any health issues but reports frequent constipation despite increasing fiber and water intake in her diet. What assessment questions will the nurse ask?

Question

A) "How many calories do you eat per day?"
B) "Do you often wear Spanx or other tight constraining clothing?"
C) "Do you often ignore the need to urinate and allow your bladder to fill?"
D) "Have you been taking narcotics every day?

Answer 1

B
Feedback:
The nurse would assess the women to determine if tight constraining clothing such as Spanx are worn because taut stretching of skin and muscles over the abdomen irritates the nerve plexus and causes a slowing or cessation of GI activity to prevent further irritation. Calories per day would not contribute to constipation. It is unlikely the urge to void could be ignored long enough to cause constipation. Asking about the use of narcotics would only be appropriate if there are other manifestations that indicate the likelihood of this problem as constipation can be caused by many other things.