A patient recovering from a leg fracture after a fall states that he has dull pain in the affected leg and rates it as a 7 on a 0 to 10 scale. The patient is not able to walk around in the room with crutches because of leg discomfort

Question

What is the priority nursing intervention for this patient? a. Assist the patient to walk in the room with crutches.
b. Obtain a walker for the patient.
c. Consult physical therapy.
d. Administer pain medication.

Answer 1

D
The nurse clusters and organizes patient data, which leads to several nursing diagnoses. In this question, nursing diagnoses include Impaired physical mobility and Acute pain. Acute pain is the priority because the nurse can address the problem of immobility after the patient receives adequate pain relief. Assisting the patient to walk or obtaining a walker will not address the pain the patient is experiencing. When planning, the nurse needs to address the diagnosis of highest priority first.