An extremely anxious patient is beginning to awaken in the postanesthesia care unit. He or she states that his or her arms and legs feel like tree trunks and that they are hard to move
He or she also complains that his or her head feels "fuzzy" and that the right words will not come to his or her. What is the priority nursing intervention for this patient? A) Provide analgesic medication for the discomfort.
B) Stay with patient as much as possible and provide reassurance.
C) Provide fluids to increase his or her wakefulness.
D) Encourage the patient to turn from side to side periodically.
B
Feedback:
Most patients are disoriented and confused when awaking from anesthesia. It would be most important for the nurse to be with the patient as much as possible and reassure the patient that everything is as expected. Providing pain medication is important and may be needed during recovery if the patient reports pain, but would not be useful in treating the reported symptoms. The nurse would not provide fluids to patients immediately after surgery until ensuring the swallow reflex has returned and bowel motility has resumed. The nurse will help the patient turn from side to side, but this is not the priority nursing action at this time. However, the most effective nursing action for anxious postoperative patients is for the nurse to stay with them as much as possible.
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