The home hospice nurse is completing the initial assessment of a patient who is has terminal congestive heart failure. The patient frequently has pain with breathing. What questions should the nurse ask?
1. "How much pain are you willing to tolerate?"
2. "What do you like to do throughout the day?"
3. "Have you ever been addicted to a pain medication?"
4. "Are there any pain medications you would like to avoid?"
5. "What things besides drugs help with your pain?"
Correct Answer: 1,2,4,5
Rationale 1: It is sometimes impossible to eliminate all pain and all adverse medication effects. The nurse needs to know how much pain and how many of the effects the patient is willing to tolerate.
Rationale 2: Knowing what the patient likes to do and when it is important for the patient to be most awake and alert helps the nurse create a pain management plan.
Rationale 3: Addiction is not a concern at the end of life. Many patients are already concerned about becoming addicted and the nurse should not reinforce this myth.
Rationale 4: Some patients cannot tolerate the side effects of some medications. It is important for the nurse to assess for these preferences.
Rationale 5: Nonpharmacologic pain relief strategies should also be investigated.
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a. "The patient will be comfortable by the morning." b. "The patient will breathe unlabored at 14 to 18 breaths per minute by the end of the shift." c. "The patient will not complain of breathing problems." d. "The patient will appear less short of breath."
A graduate is:
a. A tube feeding b. A measuring container for fluid c. A tube inserted through the nose and into the stomach d. Giving nutrients through the gas-tro-intestinal system
______________ are unhealthy because they interfere with REM sleep.
Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).
When assessing a family for barriers to health care, the nurse would consider which factor to be most important?
A) Language B) Health care workers' attitudes C) Transportation D) Finances