A patient who has been unable to leave his home for more than a month because of symptoms of severe anxiety tells the nurse, "I know it's probably crazy, but I just can't bring myself to leave my apartment alone."
An appropriate nursing intervention for the nurse to include in the initial nursing care plan is: a. teach the patient to replace negative self-talk with positive.
b. encourage the patient to attend an agoraphobia support group.
c. point out the irrationality of the patient's fears of leaving home.
d. support the use of medication and be patient until they work.
A
This intervention, a form of cognitive restructuring, replaces negative thoughts such as "I can't leave my apartment" with positive thoughts such as "I am scared but I know that I am safe despite my fear, and if I do my deep breathing I can control my anxiety.". This technique helps the patient gain mastery over his symptoms. A person unable to leave his home would be unable to access support groups or other treatment in the community. Pointing out the irrationality of his fears would be unproductive, since the patient is already aware of their irrationality. This awareness alone is not enough to change the fear. Medications play an important role, but there are many other actions the patient can take to improve coping, and the medications alone are not likely to be as effective as they would be if combined with other efforts to decrease anxiety and enhance coping.
You might also like to view...
After administering a hypnotic drug to a client, the nurse would assess which of the following? Select all that apply
A) Blood pressure B) Blood glucose level C) Drug efficacy D) Level of consciousness E) Respiratory rate
A method commonly used in Quality Assurance to monitor adherence to established standards is:
a. A Pareto chart. b. Brainstorming. c. Patient interviews. d. Chart audit.
The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) was established following a study in 1983. The center's purpose is to
A) Advance the level of nursing research funding B) Investigate and expand nursing theory C) Promote research for health promotion D) Evaluate the effect of current research
A patient is started on immunosuppressant drugs after kidney transplantation and will be taking azathioprine (Imuran) as part of the drug regimen
The patient asks the nurse why it is necessary to have a specimen for a complete blood count drawn at the beginning of therapy and then periodically thereafter. The nurse explains that azathioprine can alter blood cells and tells the patient to report: a. alopecia. b. easy bruising. c. fatigue. d. gastrointestinal (GI) upset.