During a home visit, the nurse learns that an older patient with hypertension takes prescribed medications only when feeling tense. What instruction should the nurse provide to the patient?

Question

1. Contact the physician for a change in blood pressure medication.
2. Continue to administer the blood pressure medication as needed.
3. Teach to take the blood pressure medication as prescribed regardless of feeling tense.
4. Instruct to take a double dose of the medication for one day then resume the normal schedule.

Answer 1

3. Teach to take the blood pressure medication as prescribed regardless of feeling tense.

Explanation: 1. The dosage prescribed may be appropriate if taken daily; therefore, it would not need to be changed.
2. The patient's current practice is incorrect. The patient needs to be instructed to take the medication as prescribed and not only when feeling tense.
3. Patients sometimes mistakenly take blood pressure medication only on an as-needed basis. This is incorrect and the patient should take the medication as prescribed on a daily basis.
4. To advise the patient to increase the medication without a physician consultation would be out of the scope of nursing practice.