A patient recovering from liver transplant surgery is being instructed on the long-term use of steroid medication. Which of the following should the nurse instruct this patient?
1. This medication works for a few months and will be discontinued.
2. Abdominal pain and nausea are side effects and are expected.
3. There are no major side effects associated with this medication.
4. This medication helps prevent organ rejection but you must report any vision changes and bone pain and be tested for diabetes regularly.
4
Rationale: Steroid therapy is useful for prevention of rejection and is used in rescue therapy for organ rejection; however, long-term use is associated with severe bone disorders, diabetes mellitus, and cataracts. The patient should be instructed to report any vision changes and bone pain and should be tested regularly for the onset of diabetes. The patient will most likely be on this medication for a very long time. Long-term side effects include gastric ulcers. Abdominal pain and nausea are not side effects and should not be instructed to the patient. There are major side effects of steroid medications.
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When working with families, the nurse may view the family as context or client. Which one of the following examples demonstrates the view of the family as context?
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A patient expresses fear of going home and being alone. Vital signs are stable and the incision is nearly completely healed. What can the nurse infer from the subjective data?
a. The patient can now perform the dressing changes without help. b. The patient can begin retaking all of the previous medications. c. The patient is apprehensive about discharge. d. The patient's surgery was not successful.
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