Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 69%
Practice
A client has been prescribed epoetin alfa for anemia related to chemotherapy. What lab value should the nurse monitor to determine the effectiveness of this medication?
Correct answer
A
Rationale
Epoetin alfa is a medication used to treat anemia, particularly anemia related to chemotherapy or chronic kidney disease. It stimulates the bone marrow to produce more red blood cells, which increases the hemoglobin level. Monitoring hemoglobin is the best way to assess the effectiveness of epoetin alfa, as an increase in hemoglobin indicates that the body is producing more red blood cells and the anemia is improving.