After reviewing the database, the nurse discovers that the patient's vital signs have not been recorded by the nursing assistive personnel (NAP). Which clinical decision should the nurse make?
a. Administer scheduled medications assuming that the NAP would have reported abnormal vital signs.
b. Have the patient transported to the radiology department for a scheduled x-ray, and review vital signs upon return.
c. Ask the NAP to record the patient's vital signs before administering medications.
d. Omit the vital signs because the patient is presently in no distress.
ANS: C
The nurse should ask the nursing assistive personnel to record the vital signs for review before administering medicines or transporting the patient to another department. The nurse should not make assumptions when providing high-quality patient care, and omitting the vital signs is not an appropriate action.
You might also like to view...
The nurse recognizes that personal hygiene is impacted by which items? Select all that apply
1. Culture 2. Environment 3. Allergies 4. Developmental level 5. Health and energy
When a person has infective endocarditis (IE), the infective organisms enter the blood and lodge and grow on the endocardium, forming what is generally referred to as:
a. thrombi c. outgrowths b. emboli d. vegetations
A patient has been treated for an acute attack of P. vivax malaria. For relapse prevention, the nurse expects the provider to order which medication?
a. Chloroquine (Aralen Phosphate) b. Doxycycline (Vibramax) c. Primaquine phosphate d. Quinine (Qualaquin)
An anti-neoplastic drug that works by inhibiting microtubule disassembly:
A. Vinblastine B. Tamoxifen C. Paclitaxel D. Doxorubicin E. Flutamide