The nurse is preparing a postoperative hip replacement client to ...

[Evvie72]

The nurse is preparing a postoperative hip replacement client to attend physical therapy. Which of the following should the nurse do to ensure the client's comfort during therapy?
 
  1. Medicate for pain immediately after therapy
   2. Medicate for pain 3 hours before therapy
   3. Medicate for pain immediately before going to therapy
   4. Apply ice to the surgical site after therapy

Question 2

The nurse is caring for a client in the physician's office who wishes to quit smoking.
 
  The client asks the nurse, If I quit smoking, will my risk of lung cancer be the same as a nonsmoker? The nurse's best response includes which of the following? 1. The risk of lung cancer will decline if you quit, but it will be higher than for someone who never smoked..
   2. The risk of lung cancer will return to the same level as for a person who never smoked..
   3. Your risk for lung cancer will never drop because the damage has already been done..
   4. No one knows for sure what the risk is for someone who quits smoking..

[pangili4]

Answer to Question 1

3. Medicate for pain immediately before going to therapy

Rationale:
The client is recovering from hip replacement surgery and will still be experiencing pain. The best intervention is for the nurse to medicate for pain immediately prior to attending therapy. The client in pain will not be able to fully participate in therapy; therefore, the client should be medicated for pain before, not after, therapy. Medicating for pain 3 hours before therapy does not ensure that the client will be pain free at the time of therapy. Applying ice may or may not be indicated for this client and should not be done.

Answer to Question 2

1. The risk of lung cancer will decline if you quit, but it will be higher than for someone who never smoked..

Rationale: While the client's risk for lung cancer will diminish sharply upon quitting smoking, it will not drop to the level of someone who never smoked. Another factor when calculating risk is the client's exposure to secondhand smoke, which also increases risk. Although damage has been done, the client's risk will drop dramatically upon quitting smoking. The risk for someone who quits is known to be dramatically less than for someone who continues to smoke.