A patient tells a nurse that a medication prescribed for recurrent migraine headaches is not working. What will the nurse do?
a. Ask the patient about the number and frequency of tablets taken.
b. Assess the patient's headache pain on a scale from 1 to 10.
c. Report the patient's complaint to the prescriber.
d. Suggest biofeedback as an adjunct to drug therapy.
ANS: A
When evaluating the effectiveness of a drug, it is important to determine whether the patient is using the drug as ordered. Asking the patient to tell the nurse how many tablets are taken and how often helps the nurse determine compliance. Assessing current pain does not yield information about how well the medication is working unless the patient is currently taking it. The nurse should gather as much information about compliance, symptoms, and drug effectiveness as possible before contacting the prescriber. Biofeedback may be an effective adjunct to treatment, but it should not be recommended without complete information about drug effectiveness.
You might also like to view...
Phyllis Gould, 73 years old, has noticed an increase in morning stiffness in her back, hips, and knees. Her grandchildren laugh when she walks across the room because her toes and feet "snap, crackle, and pop
" Her fingers have developed prominent enlarged joints, and her knees have increased in size. Mrs. Gould explains that she thinks she has rheumatoid arthritis, but she does not have "hot" swollen joints. Mrs. Gould's cousin had severe and debilitating rheumatoid arthritis. What is important for Mrs. Gould to know? a. She is too old for joint replacement surgery b. Her symptoms are more typical of degenerative joint disease c. She should decrease exercise and weight-bearing activities d. Osteoporosis and osteoarthritis are a normal consequence of aging
While auscultating the heart of a 5-year-old child, the nurse notes a murmur that is soft and quiet and heard each time the heart is auscultated. The nurse documents this finding as which of the following?
A) Grade 1 B) Grade 2 C) Grade 3 D) Grade 4
What will the nurse note when assessing an infant with asymmetric intrauterine growth retardation?
a. One side of the body appears slightly smaller than the other. b. All body parts appear proportionate. c. The head seems large compared with the rest of the body. d. The extremities are disproportionate to the trunk.
The building blocks of theory are which of the following?
A) Frameworks B) Relationships C) Concepts D) Hypotheses