A client with an eating disorder avoids meals and snacks. What nursing intervention should the nurse implement to address this behavior?
Allow the client to continue avoiding meals to reduce stress.
Provide positive reinforcement for not eating to encourage progress.
Supervise meals and snacks to prevent food refusal or hiding.
Advise the client to eat alone to avoid social pressure.
The Correct Answer is C
Choice A rationale:
Allowing the client to continue avoiding meals to reduce stress is not a suitable nursing intervention. It perpetuates the unhealthy behavior and does not contribute to the client's recovery.
Choice B rationale:
Providing positive reinforcement for not eating to encourage progress is also not appropriate. Positive reinforcement should be directed towards healthy behaviors rather than reinforcing the avoidance of meals.
Choice C rationale:
Supervising meals and snacks to prevent food refusal or hiding is an essential nursing intervention. Patients with eating disorders often engage in secretive behaviors related to food, so supervision helps ensure that they are receiving the necessary nutrition and support their recovery.
Choice D rationale:
Advising the client to eat alone to avoid social pressure is not a recommended intervention. Eating disorders thrive on isolation, and encouraging the client to eat alone could exacerbate the issue.
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Related Questions
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
Choice A rationale:
Telling the patient, "You need to eat to maintain your health," is directive and may come across as dismissive of the patient's concerns. This response doesn't address the patient's fear and could potentially increase their resistance.
Choice B rationale:
Saying, "You're not overweight. You don't need to worry about gaining weight," disregards the patient's feelings and trivializes their anxiety. It's essential to acknowledge their fear and provide appropriate information and support.
Choice C rationale:
This is the correct response. Acknowledging the patient's fear while also emphasizing the potential harm of not eating is empathetic and informative. It opens the door for further discussion and education about the consequences of disordered eating.
Choice D rationale:
Responding with, "You should focus on something other than your weight," avoids addressing the patient's concerns and feelings. It's crucial to address their fears in a supportive and educational manner.
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
Choice A rationale:
Increased levels of cortisol and thyroid hormones. While stress-induced changes in cortisol levels can be seen in individuals with eating disorders, they are not the primary pathophysiological changes associated with these disorders. Cortisol plays a role in the body's response to stress and can contribute to weight gain, but altered levels of other hormones have a more direct impact on eating behaviors in individuals with eating disorders.
Choice B rationale:
Decreased levels of growth hormone and insulin. Growth hormone and insulin do play a role in metabolism and growth, but their levels are not commonly altered in eating disorders in the same way that hormones like leptin and ghrelin are. Altered levels of growth hormone and insulin can lead to metabolic disturbances, but these are not the hallmark changes seen in individuals with eating disorders.
Choice C rationale:
Altered levels of leptin and ghrelin. This is the correct choice. Leptin and ghrelin are two hormones that play a significant role in regulating hunger and satiety. Leptin, produced by adipose tissue, signals to the brain when energy stores are sufficient, thereby reducing appetite. Ghrelin, produced by the stomach, stimulates appetite and promotes food intake. In individuals with eating disorders, these hormones can become dysregulated, leading to disrupted hunger and fullness cues, and contributing to the development and maintenance of the disorder.
Choice D rationale:
Elevated levels of sex hormones and growth hormone. Elevated levels of sex hormones are not a primary pathophysiological change associated with eating disorders. Growth hormone, while important for growth and metabolism, is not a central player in the hormonal changes that drive eating disorder behaviors. Leptin and ghrelin are more directly involved in the dysregulation of eating behaviors seen in these disorders.
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