Steps to avoid polypharmacy include:
1. Prescribing two or fewer drugs from each drug class
2. Reviewing a complete drug history every 12 to 18 months
3. Encouraging the elderly patient to coordinate their care with all of their providers
4. Evaluating for duplications in drug therapy and discontinuing any duplications
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An infant's mother is reluctant for the nurse to administer a suppository to her baby, stating, "It just seems so terribly invasive." What principle should guide the nurse's use of suppositories in infant patients?
A) Suppositories are generally avoided unless absolutely necessary, due to the risk of injuring the rectal mucosa. B) Suppositories can be an effective means of administering medications to infants, since oral administration is often challenging. C) Suppositories should only be administered after the nurse manually clears the infant's rectum. D) Suppositories are poorly absorbed in infants due to their immature gastrointestinal tract.
Perceptions such as hearing voices (which have no external stimulus) are called
1. confusion. 2. delusions. 3. illusions. 4. hallucinations.
A 76-year-old patient is receiving IV heparin 5,000 units every 8 hours. An activated thromboplastin time (aPTT) is drawn 1 hour before the 8:00 AM dose; the aPTT is at 3.5 times the control value. What is the nurse's priority action?
A) Give a larger dose to increase the aPTT. B) Give the dose as ordered and chart the results. C) Check the patient's vital signs prior to administering the dose. D) Hold the dose and call the result to the physician.
A star quarterback on the high school football team is injured in a motorcycle accident. He will be unable to play football again. Which nursing diagnosis is most appropriate when planning care specific to coping?
a. Impaired physical mobility b. Situational low self-esteem c. Impaired social interaction d. Impaired comfort