The nurse caring for a client who is receiving chemotherapy is concerned about the client's nutritional status. What should the nurse encourage the client to do?

Appeared in: UPUMS Nsg.Officer-2024

Explanation

Chemotherapy frequently causes dysgeusia (altered taste), often resulting in a metallic or bitter taste perception.
Red meat is a common food item that exacerbates this metallic taste, leading to food aversion and decreased protein intake.
Advising the client to avoid red meat and choose alternative, milder protein sources like chicken, turkey, fish, or dairy helps improve food tolerance and overall nutritional status.
This intervention directly addresses a common and specific chemotherapy-related side effect impacting nutrition.

Option B: Prochlorperazine is an antiemetic, but its administration is typically scheduled or given 30-60 minutes before a chemotherapy infusion to prevent nausea, not specifically before each meal.
Option C: Hot foods release strong odors that can trigger or worsen nausea and vomiting, a common side effect of chemotherapy. Cold or room-temperature foods are better tolerated.
Option D: Spicy foods can irritate the oral mucosa and gastrointestinal tract. This is particularly problematic for patients with chemotherapy-induced mucositis (mouth sores), causing pain and discouraging eating.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Use the key finding related to Nutritional Management during Chemotherapy to guide bedside assessment, documentation, and the next nursing action.
Maintaining adequate nutrition during chemotherapy is crucial for preventing weight loss (cachexia), supporting immune function, improving treatment tolerance, and enhancing quality of life.
Nurses are central to managing chemotherapy side effects. This includes assessing for nutritional issues like dysgeusia and mucositis, providing targeted dietary education, and collaborating with dietitians.
What if? If the patient complained of a 'cardboard' or bland taste rather than a metallic one, the advice might shift. Instead of avoiding red meat, the nurse might suggest using marinades, flavorful herbs, or tart foods like lemon (if no mouth sores) to enhance the food's taste.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core issue in the question: providing nutritional advice to a client on chemotherapy.
Next, recall the common side effects of chemotherapy that impact nutrition. Key side effects include nausea, vomiting, mucositis (mouth sores), and dysgeusia (altered taste, often metallic).
Evaluate each option in the context of these side effects.
Eliminate Option C (hot foods) because strong smells from hot food can trigger nausea.
Eliminate Option D (spicy foods) because they can irritate mouth sores (mucositis).
Compare the remaining options. Option A (avoid red meats) directly addresses the common metallic taste alteration. Option B (medicating before meals) is a pharmacological intervention for nausea, and its timing is not typically just before meals.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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E6 Pharmacology Nursing Lilley 11e Part 3 p. 92-94

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