Question

The nurse is caring for a client on a regimen of four medications to treat tuberculosis. The nurse discovers that the client is not taking all of the prescribed medications. What is appropriate for the nurse to say to the client?

"Why aren't you taking your medications? Don't you want to get better?" "Taking many medications can be difficult. Tell me about the difficulties you're having." "Don't you realize that resistance can develop if you don't take your medications properly?" "You need to take your medication as you were instructed. Do you need supervision?"

Answer 1

The nurse should ask the TB patient about their difficulties with the medication regimen empathetically to improve adherence and prevent drug resistance. An open and supportive dialogue is key.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the context of treating tuberculosis (TB), patients must adhere to their prescribed medication regimens to prevent the development of drug-resistant strains such as multidrug-resistant (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR-TB). When a client is not taking all of their prescribed medications, a nurse should approach the situation with empathy and without judgment. An appropriate response might be, "Taking many medications can be difficult. Tell me about the difficulties you're having." This opens a supportive dialogue that acknowledges potential challenges the patient may face, such as side effects, complexity of the regimen, or other barriers to adherence. It also allows the nurse to identify ways to support the patient, which could include education about the importance of adherence to prevent antibiotic resistance or implementing directly observed therapy (DOT) if necessary.