A client says, "I don't understand why so much money is spent on trying to find a cure for cancer. I have epilepsy and wish more money went into epilepsy drugs." What should the nurse consider prior to responding? Note: Credit will be given only if all correct choices and no incorrect choices are selected. Standard Text: Select all that apply

Question

1. More people are affected by cancer than by epilepsy.
2. Drugs that are effective in treating epilepsy exist.
3. The amounts of money spent on drug development are determined at the federal level.
4. It would be easier to achieve a cure for cancer than to achieve a cure for epilepsy.
5. The client should realize that personal family may develop cancer one day.

Answer 1

1,2
Rationale 1: According to the tenets of pharmacoeconomics, more money should be spent on development of drugs that will impact the most people.
Rationale 2: There are more drugs to successfully treat epilepsy than to cure cancer.
Rationale 3: Money spent on drug development is determined at several levels, including individual corporations, universities, and governments.
Rationale 4: There is no indication that curing cancer is easier than curing epilepsy.
Rationale 5: The nurse should not judge this client's statement as good or bad, but should attempt to explain the allocation of resources.
Global Rationale: According to the tenets of pharmacoeconomics, more money should be spent on development of drugs that will impact the most people. There are more drugs to successfully treat epilepsy than to cure cancer. Money spent on drug development is determined at several levels, including individual corporations, universities, and governments. There is no indication that curing cancer is easier than curing epilepsy. The nurse should not judge this client's statement as good or bad, but should attempt to explain the allocation of resources.