A nursing diagnosis universally appropriate for patients who ...

[ENagel]

A nursing diagnosis universally appropriate for patients who abuse mood-altering drugs would be:
 
  a. confusion.
  b. ineffective coping.
  c. imbalanced nutrition.
  d. impaired environmental interpretation syndrome.

Question 2

The reason for routinely using the behavioral rating scale is to assess the: (Select all that apply.)
 
  a. changes in the patient's condition related to treatment.
  b. effectiveness of the unit's patient behavior scales.
  c. strength of the behavioral scale's reliability.
  d. patient's state at the time of admission.
  e. patient's status to support discharge.

[lolol]

Answer to Question 1

B
Ineffective coping is a nursing diagnosis that could be used for a patient who abuses any of the mood-altering drugs. Other nursing diagnoses that have wide application to patients who abuse mood-altering drugs are disturbed sensory perception, disturbed thought processes, and disturbed family processes.

Answer to Question 2

A, D, E
Psychiatric nurses should routinely use rating scales to assess their patients to determine their state at baseline (before beginning treatment), their progress during treatment, and the clinical progress they have made at the end of treatment. In this way nurses will be able to document the effectiveness of the care they provide.