Question

A patient has come into the clinic for a routine physical assessment reporting a history of asthma as a child and history of smoking one pack a day for the past 5 years. Which of the following interventions will the nurse perform to promote the health of this patient? Select all that apply.

a) Encourage pursed lip breathing
b) Teach proper use and care of oxygen equipment
c) Discuss smoking cessation at every visit
d) Provide positive encouragement to stop smoking

Answer 1

To promote the health of a patient with a history of asthma and smoking, a nurse would discuss smoking cessation, provide encouragement to stop smoking, and might suggest pursed lip breathing if relevant. Teaching oxygen equipment use is only necessary if the patient already requires it.

Step-by-step explanation:

Interventions that the nurse would perform to promote the health of a patient reporting a history of asthma and a history of smoking one pack a day for the past 5 years include: discussing smoking cessation at every visit, and providing positive encouragement to stop smoking. The nurse might encourage pursed-lip breathing as a technique to manage shortness of breath if the patient has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or another chronic respiratory condition. However, teaching proper use and care of oxygen equipment would only be relevant if the patient requires supplemental oxygen. Avoiding smoking is the single most effective action to reduce the risk of developing chronic respiratory diseases, including lung cancer and COPD, as well as to prevent cardiovascular diseases. Quitting smoking can significantly reduce the likelihood of these conditions and help manage existing respiratory diseases.

Avoiding secondhand smoke is also crucial to protect against the harmful effects of tobacco smoking, which increases the risk of respiratory infections and can lead to more serious conditions like COPD and lung cancer.