A patient is scheduled for a bone scan to rule out osteosarcoma of the pelvic bones. What would be most important for the nurse to assess before the patient's scan?

Question

A) That the patient completed the bowel cleansing regimen
B) That the patient emptied the bladder
C) That the patient is not allergic to penicillins
D) That the patient has fasted for at least 8 hours

Answer 1

Ans: B
Feedback:
Before the scan, the nurse asks the patient to empty the bladder, because a full bladder interferes with accurate scanning of the pelvic bones. Bowel cleansing and fasting are not indicated for a bone scan and an allergy to penicillins is not a contraindication.