Which patient requires the most rapid assessment and care by the emergency department nurse?
a. The patient with hemochromatosis who reports abdominal pain
b. The patient with neutropenia who has a temperature of 101.8° F
c. The patient with sickle cell anemia who has had nausea and diarrhea for 24 hours
d. The patient with thrombocytopenia who has oozing after having a tooth extracted
ANS: B
A neutropenic patient with a fever is assumed to have an infection and is at risk for rapidly developing sepsis. Rapid assessment, cultures, and initiation of antibiotic therapy are needed. The other patients also require rapid assessment and care but not as urgently as the neutropenic patient.
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