You are discussing pain relief in the elderly with your senior nursing students
When administering an analgesic to an elderly patient for pain, what interventions would you teach your students should be implemented in the plan of care for the patient?
A) Monitor for signs of drug toxicity due to a decrease in metabolism.
B) Monitor for an increase in absorption of the drug due to increased metabolism.
C) Monitor for an increase in respiratory rates.
D) Analgesics should be given every 4 to 6 hours as ordered to control pain.
Ans: A
Feedback: Older people may respond differently to pain than younger people. Because elderly people have a slower metabolism and a greater ratio of body fat to muscle mass compared to younger people, small doses of analgesic agents may be sufficient to relieve pain, and these doses may be effective longer. This makes option B and D incorrect. Pain medication can decrease respiratory rates, not increase them.
You might also like to view...
While shifts in the population profile are occurring, what is an important consideration to address in health care?
A. Cultural health needs of varying groups must be considered. B. Health care needs to be streamlined for consistent care delivery. C. More physicians need to be trained to deliver health care. D. Health care providers need to be younger to care for an aging population.
Dashboards and balanced scorecards can be used to identify four perspectives of an organization. Which of the following are some of these perspectives? Select all that apply
a. customer satisfaction c. finances b. staff satisfaction d. learning and growth
A nurse is conducting a class on how to self-manage insulin regimens. A patient asks how long a vial of insulin can be stored at room temperature before it "goes bad." What would be the nurse's best answer?
A) "If you are going to use up the vial within 1 month it can be kept at room temperature." B) "If a vial of insulin will be used up within 21 days, it may be kept at room temperature." C) "If a vial of insulin will be used up within 2 weeks, it may be kept at room temperature." D) "If a vial of insulin will be used up within 1 week, it may be kept at room temperature."
converted to a percent is
A. 
.
B. 0.3%.
C. 33.3%.
D. 3%.