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Difficulty: EasyEmergency Response Plan

A local weather station issues a severe tornado warning, and the hospital's internal emergency response plan is immediately activated. A nurse is working on a medical-surgical unit with exterior-facing windows. Which of the following actions should the nurse take to protect clients? Select all that apply.

  1. Close the window blinds and heavy drapes in all client rooms.Answer
  2. Move bedbound clients as far away from windows as possible and cover them with blankets.Answer
  3. Direct ambulatory clients into interior hallways or windowless rooms.Answer
  4. D
    Open the windows slightly in client rooms to help equalize atmospheric pressure.
  5. E
    Assign unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) to assess which clients can be safely discharged.
  6. F
    Initiate the START method by placing colored triage tags on all clients currently admitted to the unit.

Answer

The nurse should close window blinds and drapes, move bedbound clients away from windows while covering them with blankets, and direct ambulatory clients to interior hallways.
The correct actions focus on immediate physical protection from flying glass and debris, which are the primary hazards during a tornado. Closing drapes, moving non-ambulatory clients away from exterior walls while covering them, and sheltering ambulatory clients in windowless interior hallways are standard, evidence-based severe weather safety protocols.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the scenario to identify the specific type of emergency.
The emergency is an internal threat involving severe weather (a tornado).
Different emergencies require distinct protocols. A tornado dictates a shelter-in-place response to protect from structural damage and debris.
2
Evaluate each potential intervention based on standard severe weather safety protocols.
Closing blinds, moving beds away from windows, covering clients, and relocating ambulatory clients to interior spaces are correct actions.
These actions directly minimize client exposure to shattered glass and wind-borne debris.
3
Identify and eliminate contraindicated or unsafe actions.
Opening windows, delegating assessments to UAP, and tagging current inpatients are incorrect.
These actions violate safety guidelines, legal delegation boundaries, and disaster triage protocols.

Key Concept

Internal Emergency Response Plan: Severe Weather
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Topics

Emergency Response Plan

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