A home care patient has a history of fecal impaction.Which intervention does the nurse instruct the home health aide to implement to prevent another fecal impaction?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The nurse instructs the home health aide to assist the patient with increased daily fluids to facilitate bowel passage through the colon to prevent a fecal impaction.The nurse instructs the aide to encourage frequent sips of water and help the patient avoid dehydrating liquids with high-caffeine content.The aide should provide high-fiber foods to increase the stool bulk and facilitate stool passage through the colon.He or she should report abdominal pain,but abdominal pain is not an indicator of fecal impaction.The nurse avoids instructing the aide to administer a cleansing enema to the patient on a regular basis because frequent exogenous methods of stimulating bowel movements tend to encourage patient dependency on these measures for regular bowel movements.

A Home Care Patient Has a History of Fecal Impaction