A patient diagnosed with osteomyelitis has a fever of 101.2°F, a white blood cell count of 22,000, and is complaining of severe leg pain. Which physician's order should the nurse implement first?
1. Start IV D51/2 NS at 125 ml/hr
2. Blood cultures ×2 at different sites
3. Rocephin 1 gram IV twice a day
4. Acetaminophen 650 mg PO for temperature above 100°F
5. Morphine 4 mg IV for pain
1
Rationale 1: The nurse's priority is to start an IV line so that medications and fluids can be administered. Depending on agency policy, one blood culture may be drawn when this IV line is started.
Rationale 2: Drawing blood cultures is the second priority.
Rationale 3: Once the intravenous line is established, the pain medication can be provided and the antibiotic can be started.
Rationale 4: Acetaminophen is not a priority at this time and can be provided at any point in the process.
Rationale 5: Once the intravenous line is established, the pain medication can be provided and the antibiotic can be started.
You might also like to view...
The nurse is caring for an adolescent patient who began taking an antipsychotic drug last month to treat newly diagnosed schizophrenia
The drug has not been effective and the mother asks the nurse if this means the adolescent's symptoms cannot be controlled by drugs. What is the nurse's best response? A) Patients commonly have to try different drugs until the most effective drug is identified. B) Some patients do not respond to drugs and have to rely solely on behavior therapy. C) Most likely your child was not taking the medication properly as prescribed. D) He may need to take multiple drugs before effects will be seen that control his symptoms.
A marathon runner is taken to the emergency department (ED) following a race in which the runner became disoriented, complained of a significant headache, and was dizzy
The client reports drinking several bottles of water immediately following the race. A new ED nurse starts an IV of D5W on this client and the symptoms become worse. Another nurse notices the IV fluids and discusses her concerns regarding the IV fluid with the new nurse. What are the concerns? 1. D5W breaks down into free water when the glucose is metabolized and is increasing the degree of the client's hyponatremia. 2. D5W is the IV fluid of choice and should be infusing at a faster rate. 3. D5W is only given to clients who are admitted to an acute care setting, not those in the ED. 4. D5W increases the sodium for this client too rapidly.
To ensure complete data regarding family social support needs, the nurse should consider seeking information relating to which four categories?
a. Anger quotient, resiliency, flexibility, and guilt b. Financial, dependency, worry, and involvement c. Emotional, feedback, cognitive, and instrumental d. Diagnosis, treatment, relapse prediction, and violence potential
A patient arrives in the PACU. Which action does the nurse perform first?
a. Assess for a patent airway and adequate gas exchange b. Rate the patient's pain using the 0-10 pain assessment scale c. Position the patient in a supine position to prevent aspiration d. Calculate the patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump maximum dose per hour to avoid an overdose