ASSIGNMENT HELP | Discuss the patient education you would offer about Warfarin

Lester is a 67-year-old male who is prescribed Warfarin for his new onset atrial fibrillation. He is concerned about starting this medication and admits he is forgetful about taking meds and doesn’t understand why he has to have follow-up blood tests. Discuss the patient education you would offer about Warfarin (include side effects). How would you address his concerns and questions? How can you ensure your patient education information is accurate and up to date?

MODEL ANSWER

The nurse’s patient education on Warfarin should help Lester understand that Warfarin is an anticoagulant commonly administered to individuals with | PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | reduce the risk of stroke, pulmonary embolism, heart attack, or deep vein thrombosis. Lester should also know that there are several side effects linked to the taking of Warfarin, some of which include joint pain, red or brown urine, bloody stool, severe headache, and vomiting of | PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | be made aware of the drug interactions, and hence be warned against mixing medication without the supervision of his doctor. Lastly, Lester should avoid taking too much alcohol or cranberry juice since they tend to reduce the efficiency of the medication and can cause an adverse drug interaction.

The nurse can address Lester’s questions and concerns by truthfully answering any queries he may have about his condition and the new | PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | hesitation about the regular blood tests could be addressed by explaining to him why they are | PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | should inform him that the frequent blood tests help to ensure that he is always on the right dosage of the drug. Hence, keeping him safe from either bleeding out or forming blood clots, which could then complicate his condition. 

A nurse can ensure that their | PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | education information is accurate by | PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | to keep themselves abreast of the changes in the healthcare industry and the drug | PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | can do this by reading well-researched journals from their colleagues that address their patients’ needs and | PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW AT writtask.com | can visit trusted sites which tend to hold current information on the medication they prescribe to their patients, as well as the treatment protocols that best suit individuals with atrial fibrillation.

References

Al-Saikhan, F. I. (2020). Genetic risk assessment towards warfarin application: Saudi Arabia study with the potential to predict and prevent side effects. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences, 27(1), 456-459. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjbs.2019.11.007

Mercieca-Bebber, R., King, M. T., Calvert, M. J., Stockler, M. R., & Friedlander, M. (2018). The importance of patient-reported outcomes in clinical trials and strategies for future optimization. Patient-related outcome measures, 9, 353. https://dx.doi.org/10.2147%2FPROM.S156279