The nurse is providing routine follow-up care for a young adult with asthma who has been on a 3-month course of maintenance therapy. Which of the following activities would best help the nurse to determine if the patient's treatment plan was effective?
a. Examine daily tracking records of the peak expiratory flow rate.
b. Evaluate the patient's use of an incentive spirometer.
c. Determine the patient's pulse oximeter reading.
d. Obtain an arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis.
ANS: A
Many patients with asthma monitor their peak expiratory flow rate at home. This is a measure of the amount of air the patient can blow into a peak flowmeter from fully inflated lungs and is measured in liters per minute. Daily tracking records will indicate respiratory status over time. An incentive spirometer encourages deep breathing; correct use will not help evaluate asthmatic control. Current pulse oximetry will only provide a measure of current oxygenation and will not indicate long-term efficacy of the treatment plan. ABGs may be helpful in severe cases but are invasive and not routine and will only give a current measurement.
You might also like to view...
What is marasmus?
a. Deficiency of protein with an adequate supply of calories b. Syndrome that results solely from vitamin deficiencies c. Not confined to geographic areas where food supplies are inadequate d. Characterized by thin, wasted extremities and a prominent abdomen resulting from edema (ascites)
A client is scheduled for a cardiac angiogram. Which of the following should the nurse instruct the client about this diagnostic test?
1. It is noninvasive. 2. Contrast dye is injected. 3. Clients can move about after the procedure. 4. General anesthesia is used.
Clients are considered radioactive when receiving external beam radiation therapy
Indicate whether the statement is true or false
The patient recovering in the PACU awakes confused and disoriented. The nurse's most appropriate intervention is to:
a. take vital signs. b. encourage the patient to return to sleep. c. say, "Your surgery is over. You are in the recovery area." d. chart, "Patient awake and disoriented."