The physician ordered an intravenous medication for a patient with nausea. The patient asks the nurse how it will help his nausea. What is the best response by the nurse?

Question

1. "We have more intravenous drugs for nausea than we do oral drugs."
2. "If you take an oral medication, you will just vomit it up."
3. "This will work much faster for your nausea."
4. "You can't have anything by mouth, so you will receive the medication intravenously."

Answer 1

3
Rationale 1: Telling the patient that the nurse has more intravenous drugs than oral drugs does not answer the patient's question.
Rationale 2: Telling the patient that he will vomit the medication is non-therapeutic.
Rationale 3: The intravenous route provides the quickest route of medication absorption.
Rationale 4: There is no evidence that the patient cannot have anything by mouth.
Global Rationale: The intravenous route provides the quickest route of medication absorption. Telling the patient that he will vomit the medication is non-therapeutic. Telling the patient that the nurse has more intravenous drugs than oral drugs does not answer the patient's question. There is no evidence that the patient cannot have anything by mouth.