A 79-year-old female patient, admitted for hip replacement surgery, complained of insomnia the night before and was administered lorazepam, a benzodiazepine
She began displaying signs of delirium shortly thereafter, a situation that has persisted until the morning change of shift. Which of the following guidelines should the night nurse provide to the nurse coming on shift to care for the patient? A) "Make sure you get a sedative order from her doctor this morning.".
B) "Try to keep her level of stimulation as low as you can when you are working with her.".
C) "Make sure you let the family know that there are effective drug treatments that will resolve her delirium.".
D) "Work with the discharge-planning nurse to help the family reassess her living arrangement after discharge.".
B
Feedback:
Older adults with delirium benefit from minimal stimulation. Administration of a sedative would not be a preferred intervention and resolution of the problem would not depend on pharmacological interventions. Given the temporary nature of the problem, a reassessment of the patient's living arrangement would not be required.
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