If the nurse is caring for a client taking Epogen and notices blood lab tests have dropped below normal, the best initial action would be to:
1. Tell the client to take her normal dose that day, but come in for some lab work.
2. Notify the health care provider.
3. Tell the client to stop the drug and notify her health care provider.
4. Tell the client to stop the drug for 3 days to give the body some time for the levels to rise back to normal.
Correct Answer: 2
Rationale 1: The client should notify her health care provider initially before taking any more medication.
Rationale 2: The nurse would notify the health care provider as the dose of Epogen should be increased so that the therapeutic effects can be achieved.
Rationale 3: The client would need a dosage increase due to the lab values.
Rationale 4: If this occurs, the client should notify her health care provider initially before taking action on her own.
Global Rationale: If a medication is not having the desired effect (in this case improving blood counts) the provider should be consulted. The remaining options will not address the issue and may cause harm (reducing dose is not indicated.)
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