A 26-Year-Old Patient with a C8 Spinal Cord Injury Tells

Multiple Choice

A 26-year-old patient with a C8 spinal cord injury tells the nurse, "My wife and I have always had a very active sex life, and I am worried that she may leave me if I cannot function sexually." The most appropriate response by the nurse to the patient's comment is to

A) advise the patient to talk to his wife to determine how she feels about his sexual function.
B) tell the patient that sildenafil (Viagra) helps to decrease erectile dysfunction in patients with spinal cord injury.
C) inform the patient that most patients with upper motor neuron injuries have reflex erections.
D) suggest that the patient and his wife work with a nurse specially trained in sexual counseling.