Author Question: A nurse is reviewing a patient's medical record before administering a medication. Which factor(s) ... (Read 54 times)

audie · **on:** Jul 23, 2018

A nurse is reviewing a patient's medical record before administering a medication. Which factor(s) can alter the patient's physiologic response to the drug? (Select all that apply.)

a. Ability to swallow pills
b. Age
c. Genetic factors
d. Gender
e. Height

Question 2

A postoperative patient reports pain, which the patient rates as an 8 on a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being the most extreme pain). The prescriber has ordered acetaminophen (Tylenol) 650 mg PO every 6 hours PRN pain. What will the nurse do?

a. Ask the patient what medications have helped with pain in the past.
b. Contact the provider to request a different analgesic medication.
c. Give the pain medication and reposition the patient to promote comfort.
d. Request an order to administer the medication every 4 hours.

bob · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 23, 2018

Answer to Question 1

ANS: B, C, D
Age, genetic factors, and gender all influence an individual patient's ability to absorb, metabolize, and excrete drugs; therefore, these factors must be assessed before a medication is administered. A patient's ability to swallow pills, although it may determine the way a drug is administered, does not affect the physiologic response. Height does not affect response; weight and the distribution of adipose tissue can affect the distribution of drugs.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: B
The nursing diagnosis for this patient is severe pain. Acetaminophen is given for mild to moderate pain, so the nurse should ask the prescriber to order a stronger analgesic medication. Asking the patient to tell the nurse what has helped in the past is a part of an initial assessment and should be done preoperatively and not when the patient is having severe pain. Because the patient is having severe pain, acetaminophen combined with nondrug therapies will not be sufficient. Increasing the frequency of the dose of a medication for mild pain will not be effective.