Author Question: A 73-year-old woman has scheduled an appointment with her nurse practitioner to discuss her ... (Read 65 times)

tingc95 · **on:** Jul 23, 2018

A 73-year-old woman has scheduled an appointment with her nurse practitioner to discuss her recurrent constipation.

The woman states that she experiences constipation despite the fact that she takes docusate on a daily basis and performs cleansing enemas several times weekly. How should the nurse best respond to this patient's statements?
A) Because we become more prone to constipation as we age, you'll likely need to increase the number of stool softeners you take.
B) I'll refer you to a specialist because it could be that you have a disease affecting your bowels or stomach.
C) Taking too many laxatives can make your bowels dependent on them, making you more susceptible to constipation.
D) Try using a different over-the-counter laxative and see that if you resolves your problem.

Question 2

A 70-year-old patient has just started taking lorazepam 10 days ago for anxiety issues related the death of her husband. She is staying with her daughter for a couple of weeks.

The patient's daughter has noticed that her mother is having difficulty walking and seems to be confused at times and calls the clinic to report this to the nurse. The nurse will inform the daughter that
A) a dose adjustment should be made if these symptoms persist.
B) the drug should be stopped immediately if these effects persist.
C) the drug should be administered intravenously if these effects persist.
D) no changes should be made at this time; the adverse effects will resolve with continued use.