A charge nurse at a medical center receives a telephone call from an individual claiming that an explosive device has been placed in the facility. Arrange the following actions the nurse should take in the correct chronological sequence. All options must be used.
- 1Keep the caller on the telephone as long as possible to gather details and listen to background noises.
- 2Quietly signal a colleague to contact hospital security and activate the emergency operations plan.
- 3Record the exact wording of the threat, the characteristics of the caller's voice, and any specified detonation times.
- 4Conduct a visual sweep of the nursing station and surrounding client areas for suspicious or out-of-place objects.
- 5Prepare clients and staff for possible evacuation while awaiting directives from the incident commander.
Answer
The correct sequence for managing a telephone bomb threat is to first keep the caller on the line, quietly signal a colleague to notify security, record the exact wording of the threat, conduct a visual sweep of the immediate area, and finally prepare the unit while awaiting further directives.
The standard protocol for a telephone bomb threat dictates that the receiver must first try to keep the caller engaged to gather information. Simultaneously, they should signal a coworker to activate the emergency response. Documenting the specific details occurs continuously but is finalized as the primary data collection phase. After the call concludes, the immediate environment is visually swept for obvious threats. Finally, the unit must wait for incident command to determine if evacuation is safe and necessary.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
During a bomb threat, the primary nursing priorities are maintaining communication to gather intelligence, discreetly activating the emergency response, preserving evidence, assessing the immediate area, and preventing premature evacuation that could endanger clients.