Exam 28: Laxatives

A 5-year-old child has chronic constipation.The primary care NP plans to prescribe a laxative for long-term management.In addition to pharmacologic therapy,the NP should also recommend _____ g of fiber per day.

A primary care NP sees a patient who reports having decreased frequency of stools over the past few months.In the clinic today,the patient has severe abdominal cramping and an abdominal radiograph shows an increased stool load in the sigmoid colon and rectum.The NP should:

A patient who has cerebral palsy is wheelchair dependent and receives enteral nutrition via a gastrostomy tube.The patient has infrequent,hard bowel movements despite using a high-fiber formula and receiving 1500 mL of fluid per day.The NP should order:

A patient who has a history of chronic constipation uses a bulk laxative to prevent episodes of acute constipation.The patient reports having an increased frequency of episodes.The primary care NP should recommend:

A primary care nurse practitioner (NP)sees a patient who is concerned about constipation.The NP learns that the patient has three to four bowel movements per week with occasional hard stools but no straining with defecation.The NP should recommend:

A patient who takes digoxin reports taking psyllium (Metamucil)three or four times each month for constipation.The primary care NP should counsel this patient to:

A patient reports having occasional acute constipation with large,hard stools and pain and asks the primary care NP about medication to treat this condition.The NP learns that the patient drinks 1500 mL of water daily; eats fruits,vegetables,and bran; and exercises regularly.The NP should recommend:

A female patient who is underweight tells the primary care NP that she has been using bisacodyl (Dulcolax)daily for several years.The NP should: