Author Question: The nurse gives the first dose of an antihypertensive drug to a patient. Which instruction does the ... (Read 77 times)

mpobi80 · **on:** Jul 23, 2018

The nurse gives the first dose of an antihypertensive drug to a patient. Which instruction does the nurse give to the patient next?

a. Stay in bed and call for help if you need to get up for any reason.
b. Urinate in a container so that we can keep track of your urine output.
c. If you develop a headache, we can give you some acetaminophen (Tylenol).
d. You may get up but only if you need to use the bathroom.

Question 2

The nurse is checking a patient's blood pressure before administering an antihypertensive, and gets a reading of 88/52 mm Hg. What is the nurse's best action?

a. Give the patient a cup of coffee and retake the blood pressure in 30 minutes.
b. Document the finding as the only action and administer the drug as usual.
c. Raise the side rails and apply oxygen by mask or nasal cannula.
d. Hold the dose and notify the prescriber.

CourtneyCNorton · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 23, 2018

Answer to Question 1

A
After taking the first dose of an antihypertensive drug, a patient may develop dizziness, light-headedness, or orthostatic hypotension. The patient should be given the call light and in-structed to call for help getting up out of bed. The patient should also be instructed to change positions slowly.

Answer to Question 2

D
This patient's blood pressure is quite low. If the patient is receiving this drug because he or she has hypertension, another dose of the drug right now could make the patient's blood pressure dangerously low. Sometimes a patient may be prescribed an antihypertensive drug for another reason. The nurse must check with the prescriber before administering this antihypertensive drug dose.