An independent older adult who is cognitively intact but visually ...

[schs14]

An independent older adult who is cognitively intact but visually impaired must avoid confusing two different drugs that must be taken daily. Which strategies does the nurse consider for this patient? (Select all that apply.)
 
  a. Ask the pharmacist to dispense these drugs in liquid form.
  b. Keep one drug container in the refrigerator so that it feels colder than the other drug container.
  c. Have a neighbor or a relative keep and administer the drug to the patient.
  d. Wrap a rubber band around one drug container so that it can be distinguished from the other drug container.
  e. Ask the pharmacist to put one drug in a capsule and keep the other drug in tablet form.
  f. Put the drugs for the day together in a weekly pill dispenser.

Question 2

A patient taking digoxin (Lanoxin) has all of the following laboratory blood values. Which value does the nurse report to the prescriber before administering the next dose of digoxin?
 
  a. Sodium 133 mEq/L
  b. Potassium 2.8 mEq/L
  c. Blood urea nitrogen 9 mg/dL
  d. White blood cell count 11,000 cells/mm3

[miss.ashley]

Answer to Question 1

B, D, E
Distinguishing the two drugs from one another is the main objective. Keeping one container in the refrigerator can help because it is both a different temperature and in a different place than the other container. Wrapping a rubber band around one container, or placing a tablet inside a gelatin capsule can also help the patient distinguish the two drugs. Having both drugs in liquid form or putting all the drugs in a weekly dispenser does not help distinguish the drugs. Having a neighbor or a family member manage the patient's drug therapy reduces the patient's indepen-dence and may not be acceptable to a cognitively intact patient.

Answer to Question 2

B
Serum potassium level affects the activity of digoxin. A value of 2.8 is low (hypokalemia). Any abnormal potassium value (high or low) requires the prescriber to change the digoxin dosage. In addition, action is needed to bring this critical electrolyte value back to its normal range. Al-though the other laboratory values are slightly abnormal, none are critically abnormal or likely to have an effect on digoxin activity.

[schs14]

Excellent

[strudel15]

TYSM