A patient of Orthodox Jewish faith is admitted to the hospital with heart failure on Yom Kippur. The physician prescribes digoxin 0.25 mg to be given orally for this patient
Based on the patient's religious affiliation, which of the following actions should the nurse take?
a. Administer the medication as prescribed.
b. Hold the medication until after Yom Kippur.
c. Explain the importance of taking the medication despite the holiday.
d. Ask the physician to change the route of administration.
D
Yom Kippur is one of the holiest of the Jewish holidays. Self-denial includes abstaining from eating, drinking, bathing, and other rituals. Digoxin is not a non-kosher medication, so the most spiritually appropriate nursing intervention is to ask the provider to change the route of administration. The patient is in heart failure and needs the medication; thus, withholding the medication is not an option. Although the patient may understand the importance of the medication, it is not appropriate to create internal conflict between adhering to religious practices and complying with the medical regimen, when changing the route would address both concerns.
You might also like to view...
A client with a history of which of the following is at an increased risk for ovarian cancer?
A) Multiple sexual partners C) Vitamin deficiency B) Consumption of a high-fat diet D) Grand multiparity > 5 children
Climate is best defined as the ____
a. Health and well-being of the structure of a facility b. Perceptions that individuals have about an environment c. Style in which individuals treat each other d. Temperature in the nursing units of an institution
A resident is confused. Which is correct?
a. Remove the person's eyeglasses and hear-ing aid to prevent loss or breakage. b. Ask the person to snap out of it. c. Suggest the person return to his or her room. d. Discuss current events with the person.
The patient is receiving doxazosin (Cardura) for hypertension. He asks the nurse how the medication works. What is the nurse's best response?
1. "It works by causing your kidneys to excrete more urine." 2. "It works by making your heart work more efficiently." 3. "It works by making your blood vessels expand." 4. "It works by decreasing the release of your stress hormones."