The nurse admitting an 89-year-old patient to an assisted living facility notes that the patient is currently taking numerous prescribed and over-the-counter medications. The nurse's initial in-tervention is to
a. confirm with the physician that all the medications are required.
b. evaluate the patient's understanding of why he is taking each medication.
c. explain to the patient the dangers of taking so many different medications.
d. review the listed medications for possible interactions.
D
The first nursing action is to determine if the patient's health is at risk from possible drug inte-ractions. The other actions might be warranted, but patient safety comes first.
You might also like to view...
A patient with a recent diagnosis of HIV infection expresses an interest in exploring alternative and complementary therapies. How should the nurse best respond?
A) "Complementary therapies generally have not been approved, so patients are usually discouraged from using them." B) "Researchers have not looked at the benefits of alternative therapy for patients with HIV, so we suggest that you stay away from these therapies until there is solid research data available." C) "Many patients with HIV use some type of alternative therapy and, as with most health treatments, there are benefits and risks." D) "You'll need to meet with your doctor to choose between an alternative approach to treatment and a medical approach."
A breech presentation is associated with:
a. Umbilical cord compression. b. More rapid labor. c. A high risk of infection. d. Maternal perineal trauma.
The nurse is assessing a patient being treated for osteomalacia. Which findings does the nurse recognize as indications that the patient is experiencing hypervitaminosis D?
Select all that apply. 1. bruising 2. anorexia 3. constipation 4. muscle weakness 5. frequent urination
The school nurse is caring for a 7-year-old child who has demonstrated a significantly lower-than-average score for mental age on standardized tests in reading. The child's IQ scores were not below average
The nurse should instruct the parents that the child most likely has: A) Turner's syndrome. B) Klinefelter's syndrome. C) Pervasive developmental disorder. D) Dyslexia.