The daughter of an older adult calls the emergency department (ED) triage nurse and reports that her father hit his head "very hard" while getting into the car about 10 minutes ago. There is no bleeding. The daughter asks what she should watch for in her father. How should the nurse respond?
1. "As long as he does not develop a severe headache he is probably okay. Be sure to bring him to the ED if that happens."
2. "As long as your father does not begin vomiting he is probably not severely injured. If he does begin to vomit, bring him in immediately."
3. "Watch him for the next hour or two. If he seems okay after that he is not likely to have a severe injury. Bring him in to the ED if you are concerned."
4. "In older adults the changes are very subtle and can develop over several hours or even days. Bring him to the ED if you have any concerns."
Answer: 4
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