NURS 3100 Exam 1 Practice

What best describes a nurse's assessment of a client in chronic renal failure who has several drugs prescribed?

1. The client's liver may compensate for renal failure, so the drug may be effective

2. The client may have drug toxicity from all the drugs

3. The client may have drug toxicity only if the drugs are excreted by the kidneys

4. The client may have decreased effectiveness of the drug

The correct answer is: The client's liver may compensate for renal failure, so the drug may be effective

In a client with chronic renal failure, the kidneys are not functioning optimally to filter and excrete medications from the body. However, the liver can sometimes compensate for the decreased kidney function by metabolizing drugs differently. This means that even though the kidneys are not working well, some medications may still be effective in the client's body due to liver metabolism. Therefore, option A is the best description of a nurse's assessment in this situation. Options B, C, and D are incorrect because they do not consider the potential compensatory effects of the liver in the context of chronic renal failure. While it is true that the client may experience drug toxicity or decreased effectiveness of certain drugs in renal failure, the assessment should also take into account the possibility of liver compensation, making option A the most appropriate choice.