The nurse is admitting a Native American patient with uncontrolled hypertension and diabetes to the unit
During the initial assessment, the patient informs the nurse that he has been seeking assistance and care from the shaman in his community. The nurse recognizes that the patient's blood pressure and his blood sugar are elevated upon admission. What is the nurse's best response to the patient's indication that his care provider is a shaman?
A) "Thank you for providing the information about the shaman, but we will keep that information and approach separate from your current hospitalization."
B) "It is obvious the care provided by your shaman is not adequately managing your hypertension and diabetes, so we will try researched medical approaches."
C) "Don't worry about hurting your shaman's feelings, as he will understand his approach to your hypertension and diabetes was not working after your doctor tells him how sick you were in the hospital."
D) "I understand that you value the care provided by the shaman, but we would like you to consider medications and dietary changes that may lower your blood pressure and blood sugar levels."
Ans: D
Feedback: Native American patients may seek assistance from a shaman or medicine man or woman. The nurse's best approach is not to disregard the patient's belief in folk healers or try to undermine trust in the healers. Nurses should make an effort to accommodate the patient's beliefs while also advocating the treatment proposed by health science. The nurse's best response incorporating these strategies is, "I understand that you value the care provided by the shaman, but we would like you to consider medications and dietary changes that may improve your blood pressure and blood sugar levels."
You might also like to view...
A woman is prescribed misoprostol to prevent gastric ulcers. An important component of patient education is the:
a. expectation that the menstrual cycle will become irregular. b. avoidance of pregnancy. c. prevention of constipation. d. importance of taking the drug on an empty stomach.
The nurse would be most concerned about premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) that
a. are uniform in appearance. b. fall on a T wave. c. occur at a rate of four per minute. d. occur with angina.
A client who is at 18 weeks' gestation has been newly diagnosed with megaloblastic anemia. Which client statement indicates teaching has been effective?
1. "My body makes red blood cells that are smaller than they should be." 2. "Megaloblastic anemia is not known to cause any serious risks to my baby." 3. "Whenever possible, I should boil my vegetables in at least 2 quarts of water." 4. "I should include fresh leafy green vegetables, red meat, fish, poultry, and legumes in my diet."
The first step in evidence-based practice is to ask a clinical question. In doing so, the nurse needs to realize that in researching interventions, the question
a. Is more important than its format. b. Will lead you to hundreds of articles that must be read. c. May be easier if in PICO format. d. May be more useful the more general it is.