A nurse is providing discharge teaching for a patient who is going home with a guaiac test. Which statement by the patient indicates the need for further education?
A) "If I get a blue color that means the test is negative."
B) "I should not get any urine on the stool I am testing."
C) "If I eat red meat before my test, it could give me false results."
D) "I should check with my doctor to stop taking aspirin before the test."

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A blue color indicates a positive guaiac, or presence of fecal occult blood; the patient needs more teaching to correct this misconception. Proper patient education is important for viable results. Be sure specimen is free of toilet paper and not contaminated with urine. The patient needs to avoid certain foods, like red meat, to rule out a false positive. While the health care provider should be consulted before asking a patient to stop any medication, if there are no contraindications, the patient should be instructed to stop taking aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen or other nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs for 7 days because these could cause a false-positive test result.

A Nurse Is Providing Discharge Teaching for a Patient Who