Question

You have just finished discharging two clients to home when the charge nurse informs you that you will be receiving a client from surgery following a partial thyroidectomy. You will admit the client from the PACU unit and will be assigned as the primary nurse. Since you have 2 more work days scheduled you will be assigned to this client for a total of 3 days.

1. What are priority goals for this client?

2. What would be a priority nursing diagnosis and why?

3. What medications are you expecting the provider to prescribe if any?

4. What client teaching would you give to the patient.  

Answer 1

1) The priority goal for the client includes: The detection, prevention and treatment of complication. ii) proper managing hyperthyroid state. iii) relieving pain. 2) The priority nursing diagnosis includes: I) Acute pain ii) The risk for impaired airways clearance iii) presence of impaired verbal communication, iv) The risk of injury. V) inadequate knowledge. The reason is because thyroidectomy needs the diagnosis to be priotize in order to prevent complication. 3) The provider should provide pain reliever after surgery,since partial thyroidectomy means the thyroid gland can produce some thyroid hormones. 4) patient should avoid lifting heavy things. Patient needs to avoid strenuous activity for up to 5weeks. Patient should be told not to push the body too hard.