A practical nurse (PN) working in a skilled nursing facility has just received the morning hand-off report for a group of assigned clients. Arrange the following clients in the order the PN should prioritize their care, from highest priority (first) to lowest priority (last).
- 1A client with type 2 diabetes who has a morning capillary blood glucose of 65 mg/dL and is reporting mild tremors.
- 2A client who is 2 days post-operative following a hip arthroplasty, reporting pain at a 6 on a 0 to 10 scale, and requesting analgesia before physical therapy.
- 3A client receiving continuous enteral tube feedings who requires a routine residual check prior to scheduled morning medications.
- 4A client scheduled for discharge this afternoon who requires reinforcement of home wound care instructions.
Cevap
The correct priority sequence is: 1) The client with hypoglycemia, 2) The post-operative client in pain, 3) The client needing a tube feeding residual check, 4) The client awaiting discharge instructions.
Prioritization relies on addressing unstable, acute, or life-threatening physiological needs first. The client with symptomatic hypoglycemia requires immediate intervention to prevent severe complications. Once stabilized, the nurse addresses time-sensitive moderate needs, such as administering pain medication to the post-operative client before physical therapy. Routine physiological care, such as checking gastric residuals, follows. Finally, stable clients with psychosocial or educational needs, such as discharge teaching reinforcement, are seen last.
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Anahtar Kavram
Prioritization of care based on acuity, physiological instability, and time sensitivity.