The patient with persistent shoulder pain with associated numbness of the hand is scheduled for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. The patient tells the nurse, "I'm terrified of enclosed spaces. I just don't know if I'll survive this test." After relaying the patient's concerns to the provider, which response does the nurse expect from the provider?

Administer 0.44 mg Ativan IV 20 minutes before the scan. The patient with persistent shoulder pain and associated distal tingling may have a torn structure in the shoulder. The gold standard for diagnosis of soft tissue injury is an MRI, which requires laying still in a cylinder. This can be anxiety-inducing for some individuals. Intravenous lorazepam (Ativan) can be administered prior to the scan to help with the patient's anxiety. Coaching the patient on breathing exercises is helpful, but the patient's anxiety is severe enough to require pharmacological intervention. Deferring the patient for 2 weeks for therapy places the patient at risk for nerve damage. Jumping straight to an exploratory arthroscopy is inappropriate because anesthesia is not without risks.

The patient with persistent shoulder pain with associated numbnes...

Category: Reduction of Risk Potential
Difficulty: 3

Topics: Medication and Blood Products Communication & Documentation Crisis Management Health Care Quality Health Promotion Mental Health Disorders Mobility Musculoskeletal Nursing Interventions Psychiatric Medications Routes of Administration

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