Alcoholism Case Study Section 1

Meet the Client A client is accompanied to the emergency department (ED) by a police officer who found him standing a bridge, threatening to jump. The client planned to jump off the bridge because significant other mov out of their shared home and the client lost their job as a chef several days ago. The client has a stronş odor of alcohol on their breath, but reports drinking only four beers in the last 12 hours. The client denies using medications or illegal drugs within the past 72 hours. The client is known to the nursing staff because of previous admissions related to alcohol abuse. The client is angry and uncooperative, a the nurses will not allow the client to leave. The client states that they has felt sad for several weeks, which is the reason for drinking alcohol. The client reports sleeping 5 to 6 hours a night and states tha their appetite is poor, resulting in significant weight loss over the past month. Physical health problerr include a history of compromised liver function. Important to Know 1. Your first answer is the one that counts towards your score, but you'll be prompted to try again if you get the wrong answer. Wh you get the right answer, you'll go to the next section. 2. If you choose to re-take a Case Study, you will no longer be able to see your previous score. Section 1 Assessment A simple tool the nurse can use to screen for alcoholism is the CAGE questionnaire. CAGE is an acronym that represents four questions it contains. Question 1 of 25 What is the first question that the nurse should ask? Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking? This is the second question of the questionnaire. In CAGE, A stands for annoyed. Often the behaviors of alcoholics, especially when inebriated, are arirnoying to family and friends. Frequently the alcoholic is unaware of the behavior and i angered when family and/or friends complain. Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking? This is the third question of the questionnaire. In CAGE, G stands for guilty. When sober, alcoholics often experience feelings of embarrassment and guilt about behavior that occurred while intoxicated. Have you ever thought that you should cut down on your drinking? This is the first question in the questionnaire. In CAGE, C stands for cut down. Alcoholic may realize they consume too much alcohol, which leads to uninhibited and embarrassing behavior. When sober, an alcoholic may make a pledge to reduce consumption. Keltner, N., Steele, D. (2019). Psychiatric Nursing (8th edition). St. Louis, Missouri. Elsevier, Pg. 374 Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangov This is the fourth question in the questionnaire. In CAGE, E stands for eye-opener. Eye-opener is a term used to describ the need to drink alcohol as soon as waking up to ward off a hangover. It is a serious indication of over consumption. Question 2 of 25 What action should the nurse take next? Prepare the client for possible alcohol withdrawal. The CAGE questionnaire is a screening tool that is used to identify individuals who may be abusing alcohol. The nurse needs more information to determine if the client has an alcohol addiction. Further assess the client's drinking behaviors. The CAGE questionnaire is only a screening tool used to identify alcohol abuse, therefore, further assessment is needed make a diagnosis of alcoholism. Keltner, N., Steele, D. (2019). Psychiatric Nursing (8th edition). St. Louis, Missouri. Elsevier. Pg. 374. Obtain blood alcohol content with a breathalyzer. A breathalyzer is another screening tool used to determine recent alcohol abuse. The CAGE questionnaire was used as a screening tool for alcohol abuse. The nurse now needs more information to determine if the client has an alcohol addict Obtain a urine drug screen for polysubstance use. A urine drug screen is another screening tool for alcohol or drug use. While this screening may become necessary to determine if the client is using other drugs, at this time the nurse needs more information to determine if the client has alcohol addiction. Submit The client answers "yes" to two-of-the-four questions on the CAGE questionnaire.