52.1k views
4 votes
A nurse is caring for a client who has a 10-year history of alcohol use disorder and is experiencing acute alcohol withdrawal. The nurse should identify which of the following interventions as the priority?

a. Suggest the client attend a support group.
b. Administer naltrexone.
c. Implement seizure precautions.
d. Assist the client to identify triggers of alcohol use.

User Paulitto
by
9.3k points

1 Answer

4 votes

Final answer:

The priority for a client experiencing acute alcohol withdrawal is to implement seizure precautions because acute withdrawal can cause severe and life-threatening symptoms such as seizures.

Step-by-step explanation:

The priority intervention when caring for a client experiencing acute alcohol withdrawal with a 10-year history of alcohol use disorder is c. Implement seizure precautions. Acute alcohol withdrawal can lead to severe and life-threatening symptoms, including seizures. Ensuring the patient's safety during potential seizures is critical and should be the nurse's immediate concern.

Interventions such as suggesting the client attend a support group and assisting the client to identify triggers of alcohol use, while important for long-term recovery, are not the immediate priority during acute withdrawal. Administering naltrexone is typically used for maintenance of abstinence rather than treating acute withdrawal symptoms.

Drug withdrawal symptoms may include agitation, seizures, and severe autonomic instability. This underscores the significance of seizure precautions in this clinical scenario. In the case of heroin addiction, the psychoactive drug methadone might be prescribed due to its ability to reduce cravings, and withdrawal symptoms, and lower the potential for misuse, thereby facilitating the recovery and treatment of heroin addiction.

User Amer Hukic
by
7.0k points