A patient tells the nurse at the clinic, "I haven't been taking my antidepressant medication as directed. I leave out the midday dose. I have lunch with friends and don't want them to ask me about the pills."
Select the nurse's most appropriate intervention.
a. Investigate the possibility of once-daily dosing of the antidepressant.
b. Suggest to the patient to take the medication when no one is watching.
c. Explain how taking each dose of medication on time relates to health maintenance.
d. Add the nursing diagnosis—Ineffective therapeutic regimen management, related to lack of knowledge—to the plan of care.
ANS: A
Investigating the possibility of once-daily dosing of the antidepressant has the highest potential for helping the patient achieve compliance. Many antidepressants can be administered by once-daily dosing, a plan that increases compliance. Explaining how taking each dose of medication on time relates to health maintenance is reasonable but would not achieve the goal; it does not address the issue of stigma. The self-conscious patient would not be comfortable doing this. A better etiologic statement would be related to social stigma. The question asks for an intervention, not analysis.
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