The nurse is assessing a client with a long-term history of arthritic pain. Assessment reveals a heart rate of 115 beats/min and blood pressure of 170/80 mm Hg. Which intervention will the nurse carry out first?
a. Administer blood pressure medication.
b. Administer a drug to lower the heart rate.
c. Assess whether the client needs an-ti-arthritis medication.
d. Continue to assess for possible causes of elevated vital signs.
D
Arthritis is categorized as chronic pain. With chronic pain, the body adapts by blocking the sympathetic nervous system; this normally causes tachycardia and increased blood pressure. Therefore, this client's high blood pressure and heart rate are not caused by chronic pain and may be a result of a more acute type of pain. Therefore, the best intervention is for the nurse to establish whether the client is having pain other than arthritic pain, and then to decide which in-tervention should be carried out.
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