A patient who is to receive a third round of combination chemotherapy today reports that mouth sores were present for 4 days within a week of receiving the last round of chemotherapy. What is the nurse's best action?
a. Hold today's dose of chemotherapy and notify the prescriber immediately.
b. Ask the patient whether sores were present after the first round of chemotherapy.
c. Reassure the patient that this is an expected chemotherapy side effect and no ac-tion is needed.
d. Administer the chemotherapy as prescribed and call the prescriber to determine whether preventive drugs are needed.
D
Mouth sores (mucositis) occur when patients become immunosuppressed with chemotherapy. The fact that they healed before this round means that the patient can receive today's doses of chemotherapy. It is not a reason to withhold this dose. However, the prescriber should be notified to determine whether the patient should have prophylactic (preventive) drugs or should start anti-infective drugs at the first sign of a new outbreak of mouth sores.
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