A client has been brought to the emergency room by a family member. The client is speaking incoherently. To obtain information about the client's current health status, what should the nurse do?
1. Call the client's healthcare provider.
2. Call the Medical Records department to obtain other records for the client.
3. Discuss the situation with the family member who brought the client to the hospital.
4. Conduct a thorough physical assessment and document the health history as "unable to obtain."
3
Rationale 1: Speaking with the client's healthcare provider may be helpful when attempting to gather information about the client's medical history. However, the family member may be able to provide more information regarding the client's current health status.
Rationale 2: Contacting the Medical Records department to ascertain this client's old records will be helpful when gathering information about the client's health history.
Rationale 3: The primary and best source of information for the health assessment interview is the client. In some situations, the client might be unwilling or unable to provide information. The nurse should use another source of information if indicated. This client is incoherent and is accompanied by a family member. The nurse should talk with the family members.
Rationale 4: The nurse should be able to gather information about the client's current health status from the family member who is accompanying the client. The nurse does not need to document that this information is unavailable.
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