A nurse is caring for a male client who is to begin therapy with valproic acid.
Which of the following diagnostic results should the nurse plan to review before administering the first dose?

Choice A rationale: Reinforce teaching on coping strategies

Teaching and reinforcing healthy coping mechanisms is essential in substance use recovery. The client has already identified some strategies, but ongoing education helps strengthen their ability to manage cravings, stress, and triggers.

Choice B rationale: Administer disulfiram

Disulfiram is used for alcohol dependence, but this client primarily uses heroin and methamphetamine—not alcohol. Since disulfiram is ineffective for opioid or stimulant addiction, this intervention is not appropriate.

Choice C rationale: Motivational interviewing

Motivational interviewing is an effective technique that helps enhance the client’s motivation for change while exploring ambivalence toward recovery. Given the client’s uncertainty about post-discharge living arrangements and social influences, this approach would encourage self-reflection and goal-setting.

Choice D rationale: Promote sleep

Many individuals undergoing withdrawal struggle with disrupted sleep, which can worsen irritability, anxiety, and relapse risk. Encouraging adequate rest improves emotional stability and overall health.

Choice E rationale: Encourage personal hygiene

Substance use can lead to neglect of self-care, so promoting personal hygiene reinforces self-respect, routine-building, and overall well-being. This small yet impactful intervention supports mental health recovery.

Choice F rationale: Encourage codependence

Encouraging codependence is not a recommended practice in substance use recovery. Codependence often leads to unhealthy emotional reliance, enabling behaviors, and difficulty maintaining independence post-rehabilitation.

Choice A rationale

Expressing increased comfort with their altered appearance in the mirror indicates a positive step towards acceptance of the changed body image following a mastectomy. This suggests the client is beginning to integrate the physical changes into their self-perception and is moving towards adaptation.

Choice B rationale

Worrying about a partner's perception, while a normal concern, does not necessarily indicate acceptance of the altered body image. It suggests preoccupation with external validation and potential insecurity about the physical changes' impact on the relationship, rather than internal acceptance.

Choice C rationale

Preferring loose-fitting clothing to conceal the changes suggests a desire to hide the altered body rather than accepting it. This behavior indicates a lack of comfort and potentially negative feelings about the mastectomy's physical consequences, hindering the process of body image adaptation.

Choice D rationale

Focusing on recovery and adapting to the changes demonstrates a proactive and accepting attitude towards the altered body image. This statement indicates a willingness to integrate the changes into their life and move forward, signifying a positive adjustment to their post-mastectomy self-perception.