The nurse is working the night shift on a surgical unit and is making 4 AM rounds. She notices that the patient's temperature is 96.8° F (36° C), whereas at 4 PM the preceding day, it was 98.6° F (37° C). What should the nurse do?
a. Call the physician immediately to report a possible infection.
b. Realize that this is a normal temperature variation.
c. Provide another blanket to conserve body temperature.
d. Provide medication to lower the temperature further.
B
Body temperature normally changes 0.5° C to 1° C (0.9° F to 1.8° F) during a 24-hour period and is usually lowest between 1:00 and 4:00 AM, making this variation normal for the time of day. Unless the patient is complaining of being cold, there is no physiological need for providing an extra blanket or medication to lower the body temperature further. There is also no need to call a physician to report a normal temperature variation.
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