A nurse is evaluating the effectiveness of the nursing interventions for a patient with an eating disorder. Which of the following actions should the nurse take?

Choice A rationale:

Monitoring vital signs and weight is important, but it primarily falls under the medical management of the patient's condition rather than within the scope of nursing interventions for promoting psychological well-being in a care plan for eating disorders.

Choice B rationale:

Providing positive reinforcement for eating is appropriate as patients with eating disorders often struggle with food-related anxieties. Positive reinforcement can encourage them to establish healthier eating habits and reduce fear around food.

Choice C rationale:

Teaching coping skills and stress management techniques is essential. Many patients with eating disorders use disordered eating behaviors as coping mechanisms. Providing alternative coping strategies can help them manage stress without resorting to unhealthy behaviors.

Choice D rationale:

Involving the family in the treatment process can be beneficial. Eating disorders can affect not only the individual but also the family dynamics. Educating the family about the disorder, its triggers, and how to provide support can contribute to the patient's overall recovery.

Choice E rationale:

Respecting the patient's beliefs and values is crucial in building trust and rapport. It helps create a patient-centered approach that considers their individual preferences and cultural factors when developing and implementing the care plan.

Recurrent episodes of binge eating followed by inappropriate compensatory behaviors.

Choice A rationale:

Eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry is not a characteristic of bulimia nervosa. While individuals with bulimia nervosa do experience episodes of binge eating, this behavior is not dependent on physical hunger.

Choice B rationale:

Recurrent episodes of binge eating followed by inappropriate compensatory behaviors are indeed a characteristic of bulimia nervosa. Binge eating involves consuming a large amount of food in a short period, accompanied by a sense of lack of control. The compensatory behaviors, such as vomiting, laxative use, or excessive exercise, are aimed at counteracting the perceived consequences of the binge eating, such as weight gain.

Choice C rationale:

Persistent eating of nonnutritive, nonfood substances, known as pica, is not a characteristic of bulimia nervosa. Pica is a separate eating disorder that involves the consumption of non-food items such as hair, paper, or soil.

Choice D rationale:

Recurrent purging behavior to influence weight or shape is more closely associated with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa. While purging behaviors like vomiting or using laxatives can also occur in bulimia nervosa, they are not specific to it.