The nurse admits a patient to the unit and learns the patient has recently been diagnosed with chronic renal failure but has not informed the primary care provider of this diagnosis.
What is the nurse’s first priority?

Choice A rationale

Teaching the patient how to cope with therapy helps ensure the best outcomes by promoting adherence and understanding of the treatment regimen.

Choice B rationale

Nurses should not alter drug regimens; this is the responsibility of the prescribing healthcare provider.

Choice C rationale

Evaluating the effectiveness of therapy is a critical nursing responsibility to ensure that the treatment is achieving the desired outcomes.

Choice D rationale

While providing therapy is part of nursing care, it should not include altering the medication regimen.

Choice E rationale

Recommending over-the-counter medications is not within the nurse's scope of practice and should be done by a healthcare provider.

Choice A rationale

Working with animals is typically done in preclinical trials before phase I studies in humans and is not part of phase III drug evaluation studies.

Choice B rationale

Conducting research to determine the effectiveness of the drug is part of phase II studies. Phase III studies focus more on confirming effectiveness, monitoring side effects, and comparing it to commonly used treatments.

Choice C rationale

Monitoring and observing patients closely for adverse effects is a key responsibility in phase III drug evaluation studies. These studies involve a larger patient population to gather comprehensive safety and efficacy data.

Choice D rationale

Choosing appropriate patients to be involved in the study is primarily the responsibility of researchers and clinicians during the earlier phases of drug development, such as phase I and phase II studies.