A patient has just received a prescription for a 10-day course of penicillin for the treatment of strep throat. What patient education is essential for the nurse to provide?
a. Family members who have the same symptoms should also receive treatment.
b. The agent should be discontinued as soon as symptoms resolve to prevent allergic reactions.
c. The entire course of the drug must be taken to prevent the recurrence of infection and potential resistance.
d. The medication should be discontinued as soon as symptoms resolve to reduce the risk of resistance.
ANS: C
The nurse should instruct the patient to take the entire prescribed course of medication to prevent the recurrence of infection and potential resistance.
Treatment of other family members with the same regimen is not always indicated, and their symptoms may be related to something else.
The patient should always be advised to finish the entire course of antibiotics for maximum effectiveness; discontinuing the agent early does not prevent allergic reactions.
Discontinuing the agent as soon as symptoms resolve does not reduce the risk of resistance.
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