Question

Difficulty: EasyCollaboration with Interdisciplinary Team

A client who was recently diagnosed with end-stage renal disease is crying and states, "I do not know how I will ever afford my dialysis treatments." Which action by the nurse represents the most appropriate interdisciplinary collaboration?

  1. Request a referral to a medical social worker to help identify financial assistance programs.Answer
  2. B
    Delegate the unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) to sit with the client and discuss their financial concerns.
  3. C
    Call the rapid response team immediately to address the client's sudden emotional distress.
  4. D
    Tell the client, "Don't worry, the hospital will figure out a way to pay for it," to ease their immediate anxiety.

Answer

Request a referral to a medical social worker to help identify financial assistance programs.
Medical social workers are specialized interdisciplinary team members who assist clients with financial concerns, insurance issues, and community resources. Consulting them directly addresses the client's expressed need for financial assistance with their medical treatments.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the client's primary need based on their verbalized statement.
The primary need is assistance with the financial burden of ongoing medical treatments.
Understanding the core issue determines which interdisciplinary team member is most appropriate.
2
Determine the scope of practice of various interdisciplinary team members.
Medical social workers specialize in connecting clients with financial resources, insurance guidance, and community support.
Appropriate collaboration requires matching the client's specific psychosocial need to the correct professional's expertise.
3
Select the intervention that facilitates this collaboration while maintaining safe nursing practice.
Requesting a referral to the social worker is the correct and safe action.
This directly addresses the client's financial anxiety through proper interdisciplinary teamwork.

Key Concept

The role of the medical social worker includes assisting clients with financial concerns, insurance navigation, and connecting them with community resources.
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