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Acute Gastroenteritis
Health providers need to ensure that they understand the HPI of a patient to make the correct diagnosis. Asking the patient questions regarding his/her condition is also important as it can help improve the patient’s health outcome. Currently, the patient is taking Synthroid, nifedipine, and prednisone. It is vital to inquire from the client the reason for taking those medications to come up with the appropriate treatment plan that will help improve the patient’s health outcome. For example, prednisone suppresses the immune system; hence it is vital to know why the client is taking that medication. In addition to that, more tests should be carried out for more information regarding the patient’s health condition.
In this case, based on the information provided, the patient is likely suffering from acute gastroenteritis. Gastroenteritis is a condition that develops due to the inflammation of the stomach and the small intestine. A bacterial or viral infection mostly causes this condition. Acute gastroenteritis occurs when water or food that is contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms or their toxins is consumed. It is also caused by contact with someone who has the virus. Symptoms of acute gastroenteritis include vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, and abdominal pain. These symptoms are evident in the case of the patient. A patient can also experience fever, dehydration, and lack of energy.
For drug therapy, I would administer patient HL with Ondansetron 8mg. This drug helps prevent vomiting and nausea. It blocks one of the natural substances in the body that causes vomiting (Parker, Van Bennekom, Anderka, & Mitchell, 2018). I would also advise the patient to take more fluids to prevent dehydration. Although prednisone normally suppresses the immune system, I would not discontinue it without tapering (Batlle, Mattie, & Irwin, 2016). It would be appropriate to follow the tapering off procedure where the prednisone dose is reduced gradually over time. Tapering off prednisone dosage too quickly can worsen inflammation (“Can tapering off prednisone cause a flare?,” n.d.). In addition to that, I would encourage the patient to exercise proper hygiene (Ibrahim, Palaian, Al-Sulaiti, & El-Shami, 2016).
References
Batlle, L., Mattie, R., & Irwin, R. (2016). A medication combination for the treatment of central poststroke pain via the adjuvant use of prednisone with gabapentin: a case report. PM&R, 8(3), 278-281.
Can tapering off prednisone cause a flare? (n.d.). WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/drug-medication/qa/can-tapering-off-prednisone-cause-a-flare
Ibrahim, M. I., Palaian, S., Al-Sulaiti, F., & El-Shami, S. (2016). Evaluating community pharmacy practice in Qatar using simulated patient method: acute gastroenteritis management. Pharmacy Practice (Granada), 14(4).
Parker, S. E., Van Bennekom, C., Anderka, M., & Mitchell, A. A. (2018). Ondansetron for treatment of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy and the risk of specific birth defects. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 132(2), 385-394.
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