Chapter 33, Problem 1CAQ

Summary Introduction

To determine:

Nurse’s assessment questions about complementary and alternative therapies during the preoperative period.

Case summary:

Margaret Thompson is a 76-year-old catholic woman scheduled for surgery because she is diagnosed with a slow-growing renal tumour. The registered nurse is responsible for the admission assessment and initial care for this patient.

Explanation of Solution

The herbal supplements are natural based products which give beneficial effects for many conditions and also some side effects to consumers. Because these natural products are not used under regulated concentrations and also contaminated with some allergic compounds.

The use of herbal products may interact with drugs and cause some side effects during anaesthesia and physiological stress. For example, bleeding time increases during the use of Hypericum perforatum and it may interfere with anaesthetic agent’s metabolism. In this case, the nurse’s assessment question about complementary and alternative therapies during the preoperative period is to counsel the patient and tell him to stop using the natural products before surgery. It could avoid a number of problems in during surgery.

Conclusion

In this case, nurse is asked Ms. T about the usage of the herbal products and its effects. She also counsel her to stop using herbal products before surgery.