An older female adult with osteoarthritis is seen by the nurse with a low-grade fever, and she tells the nurse that her pain is changing: it is worse at night and in her shoulder mus-cles
Which of the following does the nurse do to prevent complications of the patient's condition? a. Assess her joints for swelling and redness.
b. Obtain blood specimens for blood cultures.
c. Direct her to report temporal or scalp pain.
d. Tell her to apply moist heat for 20 minutes.
C
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A Incorrect. As a complication of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), the patient ex-hibits clinical indicators of PMR including severe pain and stiffness of muscles including the back, the buttocks, and the thighs. It is not a disease affecting the joints.
B Incorrect. Blood cultures are not indicated for PMR because it is not an infec-tion.
C Correct. The older adult exhibits clinical indicators of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), and a serious complication of PMR is giant cell arteritis (GCA). The nurse instructs the patient to report scalp and temporal pain because they are early indicators of GCA.
D Incorrect. Because PMR is an autoimmune, inflammatory disorder, applying heat is more likely to aggravate the patient's condition. Effective treatment for PMR includes low-dose steroids. However, this is unrelated to preventing com-plications of PMR.
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