The nurse is caring for a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) who has been in the hospital for several days
The patient complains of shortness of breath and asks the nurse to turn up his oxygen to compensate for his labored breathing. What is the best nursing re-sponse?
a. Turn up the patient's oxygen flow by 1 liter.
b. Call the physician for an order to turn up the oxygen.
c. Assess the patient in an attempt to identify the cause of the shortness of breath.
d. Ask the patient what he usually keeps his oxygen set on at home.
C
The nurse should assess the patient for possible causes of the shortness of breath before calling the physician. The nurse may be able to implement nursing interventions, or may need to contact the physician for orders based on the assessment findings. Since the COPD patient's respiratory drive is lowering levels of PO2, turning up the oxygen may take away his incentive to breathe. Asking the patient about his home oxygen is not helpful at this point.
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