The nurse is triaging clients in the emergency department. Which client should be considered urgent?
a. 20-year-old female with a chest stab wound and tachycardia
b. 45 year-old homeless man with a skin rash and sore throat
c. 75-year-old female with a cough and of temperature of 102° F
d. 50-year-old male with new-onset confu-sion and slurred speech
C
A client with a cough and a temperature of 102° F is urgent. This client is at risk for deterioration and needs to be seen quickly, but is not in an immediately life-threatening situation. Clients with a chest stab wound and tachycardia, and with new-onset confusion and slurred speech, should be triaged as emergent. The client with a skin rash and a sore throat is not at risk for deterioration and would be triaged as nonurgent.
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