A 17-year-old client has a T-4 spinal cord injury. At present, he is learning to catheterize himself. When he says, “This is too much trouble. I would rather just have a Foley.’’

A 17-year-old client has a T-4 spinal cord injury. At present, he is learning to catheterize himself. When he says, “This is too much trouble. I would rather just have a Foley.’’

An appropriate response for the RN teaching him would be:
A . “I know. It is a lot to learn. In the long run, though, you will be able to reduce infections if you do an intermittent catheterization program.’’
B . “It is not too much trouble. This is the best way to manage urination.’’
C . “O
D . I’ll ask your physician if we can replace the Foley.’’
E . “You need to learn this because your doctor ordered it.’’

View Answer

Answer: A

Explanation:

(A) This response acknowledges the client’s feelings, gives him factual information, and acknowledges that the final decision is his.

(B) This response is judgmental and discourages the client from expressing his feelings about the procedure.

(C) Catheterization is a procedure thattakes time to learn, but which, for the spinal cordCinjured client, can significantly reduce the incidence of urinary tract infections. A young client with a T-4 injury has the hand function to learn this procedure fairly easily.

(D) The final decision about bladder elimination management ultimately rests with the client and not the physician.