3.1 A Holistic Approach to Medication Administration V2

Example in Practice:

Client A, a 42-year-old male, has hypertension and is started on an anti-hypertensive. After six months on the med, their blood pressure is still high, despite dose adjustments. Before starting on a second medication, would learning about the client’s lifestyle impact decisions on the type of ongoing care? The nurse learns this client is in a high stress job, has significant financial concerns with supporting his family, and eats mostly processed foods for their speed and convenience.

Client B, a 70-year-old female, is brought into a health clinic by their son due to wound infection following a gardening mishap. They are put on antibiotics and asked to return in two weeks for reassessment. When they return in two weeks, the infection has gotten worse with redness and discharge at the site followed by increasing pain. The nurse learns the client did not take the antibiotics due to mistrust with the healthcare system. They only take herbal therapies for any ailments and have not seen a healthcare provider for over 10 years. They only came into the clinic due to their son’s persistence.

In both of these situations, if the nurse took the time to learn about the client’s lifestyle and other factors, it would have likely resulted in a better healthcare outcome. This unit will examine factors that are important to avoid medication errors and promote optimal medication use and positive health outcomes.