A patient diagnosed with a malignancy is receiving an ...

[Yi-Chen]

A patient diagnosed with a malignancy is receiving an antimetabolite as part of his or her medication therapy. What would the nurse be sure to teach this patient about his or her antimetabolite medication? (Select all that apply.)
 
  A) Report all other drugs and alternative therapies he or she is taking.
  B) Use safety measures due to possible dizziness, headache, and drowsiness.
  C) Cover the head at extremes of temperature.
  D) Plan for appropriate exercise regimens.
  E) Avoid being alone as much as possible.

Question 2

The nurse is conducting an admission assessment on a patient.
 
  When collecting data related to medications the nurse asks What medications are you currently taking? After collecting this information, what other questions should the nurse ask? (Select all that apply.) A) Do you take any medications?
  B) What over-the-counter (OTC) medications do you take?
  C) Do you take an herbs, vitamins, or supplements?
  D) Do you take medications safely when you take them?
  E) Why do you take this medication?

[briezy]

Answer to Question 1

A, B, C
Feedback:
Provide the following patient teaching: Follow the appropriate dosage regimen, including dates to return for further doses. Patients need to be reminded to report all other drugs and alternative therapies that they might be using; maintain nutrition if GI effects are severe; cover the head at extremes of temperature if alopecia is anticipated; plan for appropriate rest periods because fatigue and weakness are common adverse effects of the drugs; avoid infection including avoiding crowded places, sick people, and working in soil; and use safety measures such as not driving or using dangerous equipment due to possible dizziness, headache, and drowsiness. The nurse would not tell the patient to plan for appropriate exercise regimens because patients are more likely to need encouragement to rest; there is no reason he cannot be alone.

Answer to Question 2

B, C
Feedback:
Patients often neglect to mention OTC drugs or alternative therapies (e.g., herbals) because they do not consider them to be actual drugs or they may be unwilling to admit their use to the health care provider. Ask patients specifically about OTC drug and alternative therapy use. The question What medications are you taking? has already been asked so there is no need to ask if they take any medications. Often, patients may take medications unsafely, so do not ask whether the patient takes drugs safely but instead assess exactly how they take medications to determine whether they are being taken safely. Patients should always know why they are taking each medication to understand whether they are getting the desired effect.

[Yi-Chen]

Great answer, keep it coming

[brbarasa]

Thanks for the timely response, appreciate it