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Difficulty: MediumEmergency Response Plan

An acute care facility activates its emergency response plan after receiving a tornado warning indicating a severe storm is imminent. The charge nurse on a progressive care unit is coordinating immediate safety measures. Which of the following actions should the nurse implement? Select all that apply.

  1. Close all window blinds and drapes in client rooms.Answer
  2. Relocate ambulatory clients to interior hallways.Answer
  3. C
    Assign unlicensed assistive personnel to identify which clients are stable enough to move.
  4. Cover bedbound clients with thick blankets and pillows.Answer
  5. E
    Begin immediate vertical evacuation of all clients to the basement level.
  6. F
    Attach red triage tags to clients requiring continuous cardiac monitoring.

Answer

The correct actions include closing window blinds and drapes, relocating ambulatory clients to interior hallways, and covering bedbound clients with thick blankets and pillows.
In the event of an imminent tornado, the standard emergency response is to shelter in place. The main priorities are keeping individuals away from windows and protecting them from flying debris. Safe actions include moving those who can walk to interior corridors, shutting doors and drawing heavy window coverings to catch glass, and using thick blankets to shield clients who must remain in bed.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the nature of the emergency.
The event is a tornado warning, meaning a tornado is imminent or occurring, necessitating immediate shelter-in-place protocols.
Understanding the threat type dictates whether to evacuate or shelter in place.
2
Identify the primary risks to clients.
High winds and flying debris, especially shattered glass, are the most immediate threats.
Interventions must directly mitigate the highest priority risks according to Maslow's physiological safety needs.
3
Select interventions that protect clients from identified risks.
Moving ambulatory clients to windowless corridors, closing window coverings, and shielding immobilized clients directly address the threat of flying debris.
These actions form the core of standard severe weather response plans in healthcare facilities.

Key Concept

During a severe weather emergency, nurses must initiate rapid shelter-in-place protocols focused on protecting clients from structural damage and flying debris without initiating unsafe or time-consuming evacuations.
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Emergency Response Plan

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