A client is learning metered-dose inhaler technique. The client says, "I don't understand why I have to use this thing. Can't I just take pills?" The nurse responds that the inhalation route:
1. is easier to master than is oral therapy.
2. is less expensive than is oral therapy.
3. is more likely to lead to termination of the disease process than are pills.
4. delivers the medication directly to the site, resulting in lower doses and fewer systemic side effects.
Correct Answer: 4
Rationale 1: Greater manual dexterity is required to master an inhaler or other device than to take pills.
Rationale 2: There is considerable expense involved with some inhalers.
Rationale 3: These drugs are used to control pulmonary problems; they are not curative.
Rationale 4: The inhaled route delivers the drug directly to the lungs, so lower doses are possible and there are fewer systemic side effects than are typically associated with pills.
Global Rationale: By inhaling during drug delivery, the patient helps to ensure that the drug reaches the site of action in the lungs. Use of a spacer enhances this delivery. Using an inhaler requires more manual dexterity than does taking a pill orally, can be considerably expensive, and is not a curative intervention.
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