Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, auto-immune disorder that causes irreversible damage. This type of arthritis causes stiffness, swelling, pain, and joint destruction. Because of the loss of function and deformity that results from this disease, the best treatment potions are early and aggressive. As Lewis, Dirksen, Heitkemper, and Bucher (2014) explained, “The primary goals in the management of RA are the reduction of inflammation, management of pain, maintenance of joint function, and prevention or minimization of joint deformity”. The proper use of drug therapy can treat all of these goals. Using the nursing process during drug therapy ensures safe, effective treatment. The nursing process offers a systematic approach that aids …show more content…
The patient’s weight is needed because many medication doses are based per Kilogram (Kg). This also gives a baseline to indicate weight gain/loss during therapy. The age of the client is of importance because of the effects age has on metabolism of drugs. If the older client can’t metabolize drugs effectively, the chance of drug toxicity is increased. The patient needs to be monitored and the medications titrated to therapeutic blood levels to ensure safety. Taking vital signs (V/S) before drug administration will give the nurse a baseline to guide therapy. It can also be an indicator of when medications should be held, or of possible adverse reactions to a drug. Knowing any cognitive barriers will help the nurse in making safe choices for the patient. The education of the patient may need to extend to family members or care takers. If the patient cannot identify adverse reactions, the teaching will have to be shared with whoever is around to identify these signs and symptoms. The life-long and numerous medications that accompany RA can be difficult to manage. Someone besides the client may need to administer medications. The nurse can explain the use of pill dispensers, setting alarms on telephones, or boldly marking a calendar for use in remembering doses. Due to the metabolism of these …show more content…
Implementation includes all aspects of medication administration. Nurses are legally accountable for their practice and must have a working knowledge of all the medications being given to their patients. Using the 12 rights of medication administration will ensure the nurse is following safe practice. When implementing the interventions for the nursing diagnosis for RA, the nurse must consider the following: For pain the nurse must not location and intensity using a scale of 0-10. The nurse must consider what precipitated the pain and also watch for nonverbal indications of pain. To help with pain relief the nurse should pre-medicate before activities if possible. All of the medications discussed in this paper can help relieve pain. Prednisone and the DMARDs help with pain caused by inflammation, and acetaminophen relieves the pain still experienced. For impaired physical mobility the nurse wants to assess joint inflammation and pain. The client’s level of activity highly depends on the inflammatory process. Once again, all of the medications discussed in this paper can help the patient achieve the wanted outcomes of drug therapy. All the medications help with inflammation, that can cause limited ROM, or