The nurse is caring for an African American patient who has a serum bilirubin of 6 mg/100 mL. What is the best way of assessing skin color changes in this patient?
1. Assess the sclera.
2. Assess the palms of the hands.
3. Assess the fingernails.
4. Assess the skin of the inner arms.
Correct Answer: 2
In patients with dark skin, yellowing is best assessed at the junction of the hard palate and the soft palate, or on the palms of the hands. Sclera may be yellow near the limbus; however, this can be confused with normal yellow eye pigmentation. Jaundice might be observed in the fingernails of a light-skinned patient. Jaundice is not assessed by looking at the skin of the inner arms.
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A) ARCC Model B) Clinical Nurse Scholar Model C) Iowa Model D) Stetler Model
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