Prior to discharge, the nurse plans to teach the patient and ...

[HCHenry]

Prior to discharge, the nurse plans to teach the patient and family about relapse. Which items will the nurse include in the teaching?
 
  a. Recognizing warning signs of relapse
  b. Using street drugs judiciously and only in small amounts
  c. Lowering medication dosage to manage emerging side effects
  d. Notifying the nurse of warning signs present for more than one month

Question 2

Because of the cognitive disturbances associated with schizophrenia, which technique will be useful as the nurse teaches a patient about self-management?
 
  a. Use only verbal instruction.
  b. Teach material in small segments.
  c. Offer opportunities for making numerous choices.
  d. Plan the teaching for a time when the patient has been recently medicated.

[kthug]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: A
The patient and family must be aware of signs of impending relapse. These signs are usually similar to those that the patient experienced prior to hospitalization and will be pa-tient-specific. The nurse should be notified ASAP, rather than waiting two weeks. Patients should never adjust medication dosage. Street drug use often precipitates relapse since many street drugs are dopaminergic.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: B
Patients with cognitive disturbances should be taught small blocks of information at a time and given frequent reinforcement. Both verbal and visual materials should be used since pro-cessing of verbal stimuli may be more impaired. Teaching should be scheduled when the pa-tient is most alert. A large number of choices may be confusing for the person, but a few sim-ple choices may be included.