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Difficulty: MediumCollaboration with Interdisciplinary Team

A 35-year-old client with a recent C7 spinal cord injury is receiving care in an inpatient rehabilitation unit. The client lacks the fine motor dexterity required to hold standard eating utensils and expresses frustration about needing assistance with basic grooming. The client is also experiencing anxiety regarding the future financial burden of purchasing specialized medical equipment. Which action by the nurse demonstrates the most appropriate interdisciplinary collaboration to address the client's physical limitations and promote independence?

  1. Collaborate with the occupational therapist to assess the need for customized utensils and grooming toolsAnswer
  2. B
    Refer the client to the physical therapist for an upper extremity resistance and mobility regimen
  3. C
    Engage the medical social worker to identify community grants for purchasing adaptive medical supplies
  4. D
    Assign the unlicensed assistive personnel to complete the client's morning hygiene and mealtime activities

Answer

The most appropriate action is to collaborate with the occupational therapist to assess the need for customized utensils and grooming tools.
The correct action directly addresses the client's goal of achieving independence despite fine motor deficits. Occupational therapists are the specific allied health professionals trained to evaluate functional ability in activities of daily living (ADLs) and prescribe adaptive equipment, such as universal cuffs or modified utensils, to overcome these limitations.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the client's primary physical concern and goal.
The client has fine motor dexterity deficits affecting activities of daily living (ADLs) but strongly desires physical independence.
Identifying the specific type of functional deficit (fine motor versus gross motor) is necessary to determine the correct interdisciplinary referral.
2
Differentiate the roles of the interdisciplinary team members.
Occupational therapists focus on fine motor skills and ADL independence, while physical therapists focus on gross motor skills and mobility.
Proper delegation and consultation require an accurate understanding of allied health scopes of practice.
3
Evaluate the distractors against the client's goal of independence.
Assigning tasks to unlicensed personnel or solely addressing financial concerns does not actively promote the client's physical independence.
Interventions must directly address the identified clinical priority and align with the client's rehabilitation goals.

Key Concept

The occupational therapist is the primary interdisciplinary team member responsible for evaluating fine motor deficits, teaching activities of daily living (ADLs), and providing adaptive equipment to promote client independence.
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Collaboration with Interdisciplinary Team

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