Question

1. You are a nurse caring for a 47-year-old patient who is homeless. He is admitted to your unit two to three times per year. His medical history includes diabetes mellitus (type 2), hypertension, and alcoholism. After extensive hygienic interventions (to decrease his body odor, wash his hair, and perform oral care), you complete your assessment and find that he is not in compliance with any of his dietary and medication instructions from his last admission. (Learning Objectives #4 & #5)

1. Considering his history, what types of medications would you expect to be ordered?
2. Outline the patient variables that could impact the action of these medications.
3. Indicate the components of an acceptable medication order.
4. Describe acceptable practice when nurses are ordered to dispense a medication with which they are unfamiliar.
5. How would you identify that patient before dispensing his ordered medication?
6. What measures would you take if the patient refused his oral medications because he didn’t like the taste?

Answer 1

1, Nurse must administer the Prescription drugs immediately with the correct order..diabetes and hypertension are the major non-communicable disease among populations worldwide..people with low income and middle income group there is interaction with the social determinants of health..Long-term drug therapy for diabetes and hypertension important for managing diabetes and hypertension..there is a barrier with their poor adherence to reality effective therapeutic outcomes..
2, The homeless are often in poor health and there are multiple barrier on standard medical care about lack of disease awareness,lack of health coverage etc..A poor and insufficient food,chronic alcoholic misuse,lack of personal hygiene make this risk of falling this illness..Diabetic and hypertensive medication need long term care ,when this people ship the medication the action of this medication course will get stopped..
3, The influence of nonadherence to antihypertensive medications is important problem for uncontrolled hypertension..Maintaining medication adherence to multiple medication is a complex issues in patient with chronic illness..due to nonadherence most of the people do not achieve optimal BP control..Medication-taking behavior and traditional method like pill count, clinical report,prescription refill,self-monitoring are acceptable way to provide medication adherence information..
4, Harm from medication error occur when the patient unintended consequences like wrong medication,wrong time,wrong dosage and lack of knowledge about medication and action and its side effect can affect the body function..When the patient is unfamiliar with medication there may be error occur or patient may hold the medication without taking..Nurse is the main provider they have to improve patient knowledge with medication and it action and complication..Nurse should explain the patient about dispensing and preparation of medication and its familiar names etc..