A postpartum client who is Rh-negative refuses to receive Rho(D) immune globulin after the delivery of an infant who is Rh-positive. Which information should the practical nurse (PN) provide this client?

Rationale:

A. Increased appetite is not a direct therapeutic indicator of baclofen efficacy. While improved comfort from muscle relaxation might indirectly support better intake, the drug does not possess orexigenic properties. Nutritional status is monitored in cerebral palsy patients, but it remains unrelated to the specific pharmacological mechanism of this skeletal muscle relaxant.

B. Sufficient urinary output is a vital assessment of general physiological and renal function, yet it is not the target of baclofen therapy. Baclofen acts primarily on the central nervous system to inhibit monosynaptic and polysynaptic reflexes at the spinal level. Urinary monitoring ensures adequate drug clearance, but output levels do not reflect the medication's clinical success.

C. Fewer temper outbursts might suggest a reduction in physical discomfort, but baclofen is not an antianxiety or antipsychotic medication. Cerebral palsy may involve behavioral challenges, but the primary goal of this therapy is physical rather than psychological. Behavioral changes are subjective and do not provide a scientific measure of the drug’s specific muscle-relaxing influence.

D. Decreased muscular spasticity is the primary therapeutic goal for a client with cerebral palsy receiving baclofen. This medication functions as a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) analogue, effectively reducing the transmission of excitatory signals that cause hypertonia and involuntary muscle contractions. A reduction in resistance to passive movement confirms that the drug is achieving its intended neuromuscular effect.

If the practical nurse (PN) is caring for a client who delivered 6 hours ago and assessment findings reveal a boggy uterus that is displaced above and to the right of the umbilicus, the PN should encourage the client to void. A full bladder can displace the uterus and prevent it from contracting properly, leading to a boggy uterus. Encouraging the client to void can help empty the bladder and allow the uterus to contract and return to its normal position. The other actions listed may also be appropriate in some situations, but encouraging voiding is the most appropriate action in this situation.