A patient with hypertension who has just started taking atenolol (Tenormin) returns to the health clinic after 2 weeks for a follow-up visit. The blood pressure (BP) is unchanged from the previous visit. Which action should the nurse take first?
a. Inform the patient about the reasons for a possible change in drug dosage.
b. Question the patient about whether the medication is actually being taken.
c. Inform the patient that multiple drugs are often needed to treat hypertension.
d. Question the patient regarding any lifestyle changes made to help control BP.
ANS: B
Because noncompliance with antihypertensive therapy is common, the nurse's initial action should be to determine whether the patient is taking the atenolol as prescribed. The other actions also may be implemented, but these would be done after assessing patient compliance with the prescribed therapy.
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