Question

A nurse is planning care for a client with peripheral vascular disease (PVD) who is hospitalized due to increased pain associated with intermittent claudication. Which independent nursing intervention will the nurse implement to help the client's condition?

1) Assess client pain every 12 hours using standard scale
2) Administer pain medications as ordered
3) Teach the client guided imagery
4) Encourage the client to walk the halls, regardless of pain

Answer 1

The appropriate independent nursing intervention is to assess the patient's pain every 12 hours using a standard pain scale for monitoring and adjusting their care. Guided imagery may help with pain, but walking without regard to pain can worsen symptoms.

Step-by-step explanation:

The independent nursing intervention to implement for a client with peripheral vascular disease (PVD) who is experiencing increased pain due to intermittent claudication is to assess the client's pain every 12 hours using a standard scale. This is essential for monitoring the patient's condition and making adjustments to their care plan accordingly. While teaching the client guided imagery can help with pain management and offering pain medications as ordered is vital for pharmaceutical intervention, independently encouraging the client to walk the halls, regardless of pain, is not advised as it could exacerbate the condition.