The nurse must provide patient education to a patient who has just been told by the patient that he has stage III lung cancer. The patient is complaining of chest and bone discomfort. Before providing the needed education, the nurse should:

Question

(Select all that apply.)
a.
draw the curtain in the semi-private room.
b.
medicate the patient to ease his pain.
c.
place the patient in a private room if possible.
d.
perhaps wait until later in the day.
e.
keep the room dark to provide solitude.

Answer 1

ANS: B, C, D
The location of patient education influences the outcome. The setting should be quiet, and the session should have minimal interruptions. Providing privacy is difficult in settings such as emergency rooms, outpatient surgery centers, and semiprivate inpatient rooms, but the nurse should make every effort to ensure confidentiality. Environmental considerations such as good lighting and the availability of resources should be explored to enhance the outcome of patient education. The nurse should examine the patient's situation and comfort level before beginning teaching. For example, a postoperative patient who is rating pain at 7 of 10 will be much more receptive to learning after being medicated for pain. A patient who just received a diagnosis of metastatic cancer will learn and assimilate more information later in the day or perhaps the next day.