A patient diagnosed with schizophrenia had an exacerbation related to medication noncompliance and was hospitalized for 5 days. The patient's thoughts are now more organized, and discharge is planned. The patient's family says,
"It's too soon for discharge. We will just go through all this again." The nurse should:
a. ask the case manager to arrange a transfer to a long-term care facility.
b. notify hospital security to handle the disturbance and escort the family off the unit.
c. explain that the patient will continue to improve if the medication is taken regularly.
d. contact the health care provider to meet with the family and explain the discharge rationale.
ANS: C
Patients do not stay in a hospital until every symptom disappears. The nurse must assume responsibility to advocate for the patient's right to the least restrictive setting as soon as the symptoms are under control and for the right of citizens to control health care costs. The health care provider will use the same rationale. Shifting blame will not change the discharge. Security is unnecessary. The nurse can handle this matter.
You might also like to view...
The perinatal nurse notes that a newborn's respiratory rate is 68 breaths/minute. What actions by the nurse are appropriate? (Select all that apply.)
A. Auscultating all lung fields (anterior and posterior) B. Documenting the infant's chest measurement C. Inspecting chest for skin color and retractions D. Notifying the physician of the assessment findings E. Withholding oral feedings while the infant is tachypneic
A client is receiving drugs through a PCA infusion pump. When teaching the client about this therapy, which of the following would the nurse include?
A) Pain relief should occur 1 hour after pushing the control button. B) The control button and the button to call the nurse are the same. C) The control button activates administration of the drug. D) The machine delivers the drug every time the control button is used.
The nurse is caring for a patient in Contact Precautions. The nurse includes hand hygiene as part of the plan of care to (Select all that apply)
a. Provide an uninterrupted chain of infection. b. Decrease the incidence of health care–associated infection. c. Protect the nurse from transmission of the microbes. d. Decrease the transmission of microbes to other patients. e. Prevent contamination of clean supplies. f. Decrease the drying effects of soap.
A 79-year-old client at the healthcare facility died following a case of gastric cancer and multiple metastases to the lungs and liver, with severe bouts of hematemesis
Which nursing measure must the nurse perform during the postmortem care of the body? A) Pronounce the client dead and sign the death certificate. B) Avoid repositioning the client's body immediately following death. C) Transfer the client's body as "coroner's case" for an autopsy. D) Pad and tie the client's wrists and ankles together.