A client with abdominal incisions experiences excruciating pain when he tries to cough. What should the nurse do to reduce the client's discomfort when coughing?
A) Administer prescribed pain medication just before coughing.
B) Ask the client to drink plenty of water before coughing.
C) Ask the client to lie in a lateral position when coughing.
D) Administer prescribed pain medication 30 minutes before deliberately attempting to cough.
Ans: D
Coughing is painful for clients with abdominal or chest incisions. Administering pain medication approximately 30 minutes before coughing, or splinting the incision when coughing, can reduce discomfort. Making the client lie in a lateral position or asking the client to drink plenty of water is not helpful because it will make breathing and coughing even more difficult for the client.
You might also like to view...
A nurse on a neurology unit is assessing a female brain-injured client. The client is unresponsive to speech, and her pupils are dilated and do not react to light. She is breathing regularly, but her respiratory rate is 45 breaths/minute
In response to a noxious stimulus, her arms and legs extend rigidly. What is her level of impairment? A) Delirium B) Coma C) Brain death D) Vegetative state
Which of the following statements is true regarding benzodiazepines?
1. These drugs are safe to use in pregnancy. 2. These drugs may be habit forming. 3. If a dose is forgotten, double the next dose. 4. Caffeine enhances the effect.
A client has been admitted in a hypercalcemic crisis and the family is distraught. One family member grabs the nurse's hand and states "I just don't know what I'll do if he/she dies!" The best response by the nurse is
a. "Don't worry. We see this and treat it all the time in clients just like this." b. "I know that you are upset, but I have to take care of the client first." c. "What has your loved one been eating and drinking during the last week?" d. "Yes, this is serious but I can come back and answer some questions for you."
In a client with addisonian crisis, assessment would indicate that the drug Kayexalate is not effective when the nurses assesses the clinical manifestation of
a. decreasing blood pressure. b. low back pain. c. pedal edema. d. rapid or erratic pulse.