A patient is being discharged home from the hospital after receiving treatment for pneumonia. The patient is going home and continuing to take the same drugs he or she was taking before he or she was hospitalized

Question

These drugs include an antianxiety medication and a medication for insomnia. The home care nurse is following this patient. On the initial visit what is the nurse's priority teaching point? A) The names and purposes of medications prescribed
B) How to contact the provider if needed
C) The importance of taking medications for insomnia only occasionally
D) Warning signs that may indicate serious adverse effects

Answer 1

D
Feedback:
The home care nurse should provide thorough patient teaching, with a priority teaching point being the warning signs the patient may experience that indicate a serious adverse effect. Although this may have been discussed by the discharging nurse in the hospital, this is essential information for the patient to thoroughly understand. By the time the home care nurse visits, the patient should already have filled the prescriptions and know the names and purposes of the medications prescribed from the hospital nurse but it is a good idea to review this information, although it is not a priority. Medications for insomnia should be taken as prescribed. The patient should have received the provider's contact information when leaving the hospital but the home care nurse may need to review this, even though it is not the priority teaching point.