Here are important nursing considerations when administering other antiprotozoal agents:

Nursing Assessment

These are the important things the nurse should include in conducting assessment, history taking, and
examination:

Assess for the mentioned cautions and contraindications (e.g. drug allergies, hepatorenal impairment,
pregnancy and lactation, etc.) to prevent any untoward complications.

Perform a thorough physical assessment (other medications taken, reflexes and muscle strength, skin
and mucous membrane color, temperature, texture, etc.) to establish baseline data before drug therapy
begins, to determine effectiveness of therapy, and to evaluate for occurrence of any adverse effects
associated with drug therapy.

Assess the patient’s liver function, including liver function tests to determine appropriateness of therapy
and to monitor for toxicity.

Obtain cultures to determine the exact protozoal species causing the disease.

Nursing Diagnoses

Here are some of the nursing diagnoses that can be formulated in the use of these drugs for therapy:

Acute pain related to GI and CNS effects of the drug

Imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirements related to severe GI effects of the drug.

Disturbed sensory perception (kinaesthetic, visual) related to CNS effects of the drug

Implementation with Rationale

These are vital nursing interventions done in patients who are taking other antiprotozoal agents:

Arrange for appropriate culture and sensitivity tests before beginning therapy to ensure proper drug for
susceptible species.

Administer the complete course of the drug to get the full beneficial effects.

Monitor hepatic function before and periodically during treatment to ensure early detection and prompt
intervention with cessation of drug if signs of failure occur.
Provide comfort and safety measures if CNS effects occur (e.g. side rails and assistance with ambulation
if dizziness and weakness are present) to prevent patient injury. Provide oral hygiene and ready access
to bathroom facilities as needed to cope with GI effects.

Educate client on drug therapy to promote understanding and compliance.

Evaluation

Here are aspects of care that should be evaluated to determine effectiveness of drug therapy:

Monitor patient response to therapy (resolution of infection and negative cultures for parasite).

Monitor for adverse effects (e.g. orientation and affect, nutritional state, skin color and lesions, hepatic
function, and occurrence of superinfections, etc).

Evaluate patient understanding on drug therapy by asking patient to name the drug, its indication, and
adverse effects to watch for.

Monitor patient compliance to drug therapy