The nurse is caring for a patient with an immunodeficiency who has experienced sudden malaise. The nurse's colleague states, "I'm pretty sure that it's not an infection, because the most recent blood work looks fine."
What principle should guide the nurse's response to the colleague?
A) Immunodeficient patients will usually exhibit subtle and atypical signs of infection.
B) Infections in immunodeficient patients have a slower onset but a more severe course.
C) Laboratory blood work is often inaccurate in immunodeficient patients.
D) Immunodeficient patients do not develop symptoms of infection.
Ans: A
Feedback:
Immunodeficient patients often lack the typical objective and subjective signs and symptoms of infection. However, this does not mean that they wholly lack symptoms. Infections do not normally have a slower onset. Blood work may not be a reliable diagnostic tool, but that does not mean that the results are inaccurate.
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