For this assignment, you will be placed (virtually) in a real-world scenario that occurs in work settings. Please read the following description of the authentic performance task and complete the requirements as described in the scenario.

Scenario

A 26-year-old woman in graduate school visits the family physician because for the past 3–4 months she has been experiencing gnawing pains in her upper-middle abdomen. When you ask her what seems to precipitate the pain, she is unable to say for sure. She says she feels the best in the early morning before eating. As the day progresses, she usually feels worse and takes Mylanta or Milk of Magnesia to relieve the pain. Sometimes, her pain is accompanied by severe diarrhea, and she has been tired, weak, and nauseous. In response to your question about stress, she tells you she is under extreme stress because she is preparing to defend her thesis for her Ph.D. She has been smoking more cigarettes than usual and drinking 6–8 cups of coffee each morning. In the evening, she often has a few glasses of wine to help her relax.

Critical thinking Questions

Based on this patient’s complaints, lifestyle, and use of OTC medications, what do you expect may be the cause of her initial complaint of upper-middle abdomen pain and her symptoms of fatigue, weakness, and nausea?

What diagnostic tests do you anticipate the physician ordering and for what possible diagnoses?

Instead of OTC antacids, what are the other choices for this patient to relieve her symptoms? Is there a class of medications you think might be the better choice for her? If so, what and why?

What type of teaching would you give the patient to better manage her problems?