A client enters a neighborhood walk-in clinic reporting the symptoms o

A client enters a neighborhood walk-in clinic reporting the symptoms of “a head cold.” When the health care provider does not prescribe an antibiotic, the client asks the nurse to explain “why not.” The nurse’s most appropriate response is:

1. “Antibiotics aren’t usually necessary for colds, and they are really very expensive if you don’t have insurance.”
2. “You know what they say; a cold will go away with medication in 2 weeks; without medication in 14 days.”
3. “Your health care provider believes in treating the symptoms since there are so many different strains of the common cold.”
4. “Common colds don’t usually require an antibiotic, and taking one results in making it harder to treat infections when they do occur.”

ANSWER

ANS: 4
Organisms with resistance to key antibiotics are becoming more common in acute care settings. This is associated with the frequent and sometimes inappropriate use of antibiotics. While the remaining options are not incorrect, they may seem insensitive or incomplete in answering the client’s question.