An elderly patient was recently discharged to home after treatment for chronic heart failure. The patient experiences a pulse rate increase from 80 beats per minute (bpm) to 102 bpm when walking from the kitchen to the utility room to do laundry. What is an appropriate nursing action for the home health nurse?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The best option is to encourage the patient to sit and rest in the utility room and whenever the patient feels the pulse rate increase. This would prevent the patient from experiencing excessively high heart rates, which can lead to further health issues. Encouraging the patient to rest for 30 minutes between completing each load of laundry or completing tasks early in the morning may not be necessary if the patient can manage the activity without experiencing high heart rates. It is not appropriate to recommend that the patient ignore the pulse rate and become more active as this could be dangerous for the patient.

An Elderly Patient Was Recently Discharged to Home After Treatment